Category Archive

Living with Epilepsy

Celebrating Purple Day at Queen’s Park

March 23, 2016

By Deron Hamel Epilepsy Ontario will be acknowledging Purple Day by distributing purple ribbons to MPPs on March 24 and attending a session at Queen’s Park, where representatives from the Liberal, NDP and Progressive Conservative parties will read member statements focused on epilepsy awareness. 2014 Purple Day Website poster Purple Day is honoured annually by…

Divalproex sodium shortage expected to end soon, but that doesn’t curb family’s anxiety

March 17, 2016

By Deron Hamel Although a multifaceted effort is underway to end a  severe  shortage of divalproex sodium (Epival), a commonly used anti-seizure drug, the anxiety created by the limited amount of the lifesaving medication lingers, says Lynda Bowyer. Bowyer, whose 21-year-old daughter takes Epival to control her seizures, says this is the first time her…

People encouraged to share experiences with first responders after a seizure

March 3, 2016

By Deron Hamel Epilepsy Ontario is embarking on an outreach strategy with first responders to build relationships between epilepsy support agencies and police, firefighters and paramedic teams to create training opportunities and encourage appropriate responses to people who may have had a seizure. The first step in this process is gathering people’s stories – both…

9-year-old Miah Wheadon getting ready to raise epilepsy awareness ahead of Purple Day

February 25, 2016

By Deron Hamel Purple Day is just around the corner, and one nine-year-old girl and her mother in a small northern Ontario community are gearing up for their annual drive to raise epilepsy awareness. For the past few years, Grade 4 student Miah Wheadon and her mother, Gina, have approached local businesses in Manitouwadge, Ont.…