Deanna Sinasac has worked tirelessly to raise epilepsy awareness in Amherstburg, Ont., especially among students and staff at her daughter’s primary school.
Her daughter, Alexis, is a Grade 4 student at Amherstburg Public School. She also has epilepsy. But because of her mother’s efforts to raise epilepsy awareness at the school, staff and students have a better understanding of what it’s like to live with a seizure disorder, as well as how to help Alexis if she has a seizure.
While Sinasac advocates for her daughter throughout the year, her efforts every Purple Day help bring the most awareness. Held every March 26, Purple Day is an internationally recognized day aimed at raising epilepsy awareness.
For the past few years, Sinasac has organized Purple Day events at her daughter’s school. She has baked purple cupcakes and raised money for the Epilepsy Support Centre. She also organizes school assemblies where Epilepsy Support Centre representatives come to speak with staff and students about seizure disorders.
Many students and staff members also dress in purple clothing in honour of Purple Day.
“With more education, (the students) are more accepting – and I hope they are less afraid,” Sinasac says. “A lot of the kids were scared (when they saw Alexis have a seizure) for the first couple of years, but I find that by (engaging the students) it brings more awareness.”
Sinasac’s work has paid off. She says she’s seen a change among students and staff. Students, especially older students, have become interested in learning about seizure disorders and what they can do to help someone if they have a seizure.
The school’s staff members, whom Sinasac says are “wonderful,” are also eager to learn more about epilepsy, and they show full support for Purple Day activities.
“By having Purple Day at the school, it gets the whole school involved,” Sinasac says. “Hopefully, they can take what they learn out of the school and educate their parents and others.”
And it’s not just Alexis’s school where Sinasac is trying to raise awareness; she wants to expand Purple Day activities and epilepsy awareness presentations to other schools in Amherstburg.
“I’m going to keep proceeding with it,” she says. “I’m not just doing this for Alexis; I’m doing this for everyone who has epilepsy.”
Writer: Deron Hamel
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