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Bronx family hopes to spread awareness for epilepsy on World Purple Day

People across the nation may be wearing purple today to raise awareness for epilepsy.

News 12 Staff

Mar 26, 2021, 12:19 PM

Updated 1,349 days ago

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People across the nation may be wearing purple today to raise awareness for epilepsy.
March 26 is World Purple Day, where people wear purple to raise awareness for the neurological disease.
Bronx parents Josie and Jeremiah Fontanez say their son, Jayvian Fontanez, experienced his first seizure when he was only 4 years old.
“Seeing my little boy when I arrived like this—on the floor---I didn’t know what to expect,” Josie says. “I didn’t know if these were the last moments.” Jayvian has spent much of his life in hospitals, and now his family is on a mission to raise awareness for the disease.
According to purpleday.org, 65 million people suffer from epilepsy globally. In half of the cases, the cause is unknown.
“The message I want to say to other kids is ‘we can get through this together and we can make this and we can fight,’” Jayvian says.
Stress is a common seizure trigger, but with medication, they say Jayvian’s condition is under control.
Jayvian says he wants to be a doctor so he can help people when they get sick.
“Anything is possible with hope,” Josie says.
There is no cure for epilepsy, but it is highly