If you’re out and about in Fort Worth this evening, you may notice some recognizable landmarks glowing purple. While it’s not uncommon to see the city awash in this color in support of TCU’s Horned Frogs, there’s a different reason for the lights shining tonight. November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month and purple is the official color of the cause. In addition to Cook Children’s Medical Center, Fort Worth’s 7^th St. Bridge, Will Rogers Tower, Dickies Arena, TCU Stadium and the new City Hall (previously the Pier I Imports Building) will all glow purple.

“Epilepsy will affect one in 26 people during their lifetime, and 50,000 kids in Texas each year,” said M. Scott Perry, M.D., head of Neurosciences at Cook Children’s. “It’s my personal mission to do everything I can throughout the year, but especially during the 30 days of November, to bring awareness to this common disorder.”

Besides spearheading the effort to light Fort Worth purple, Dr. Perry can be seen sporting his purple Vans tennis shoes this month. He’ll also toss the coin at Paschal High School’s football game on Nov. 4, which will be dedicated to raising awareness of the disorder.

Currently, 3.4 million people live with active epilepsy in the U.S. If you’re interested in learning more about epilepsy, check out some of these stories we’ve covered on Checkup Newsroom:

• Cook Children’s Opens Clinical Trial For Investigational Treatment of Rare Epilepsy Disorder
• Teen Becomes First in North Texas to Undergo Landmark Brain Surgery for Epilepsy
• Landmark Brain Surgery Research at Cook Children’s Published in Annals of Neurology
• A Simple Seizure Plan Can Save a Life
• Teen Seizure Free For The First Time in 16 Years Following Brain Surgery
• Cook Children’s Patient Becomes First in North Texas Implanted With Smart Device to Control Seizures

On Nov. 1, purple lights will shine at the following locations:

• Cook Children’s Medical Center
• Sundance Square
• 7^th Street Bridge
• Will Rogers Tower
• Pier I Imports Building
• Shops at Clearfork

In addition, a ‘#1in26’ selfie statue will be displayed at the north entrance of Cook Children’s Medical Center, next to the 7^th Ave. parking garage. We encourage patient families to take a photo with the statue and share it on their social media pages with the hashtag #CookChildrens1in26.

Throughout the month of November, we will also be sharing epilepsy stories on our online newsroom, Checkup Newsroom. Topics will include a new seizure recognition and first aid program currently in place at Cook Children’s, which aims to train all staff members how to recognize and help a person having a seizure. We’ll also highlight the incredible career of pioneer neurosurgeon, David Donahue, M.D.

About Cook Children’s Epilepsy Program

Cook Children's Comprehensive Epilepsy Program is one of the leading and most advanced pediatric epilepsy programs in the country. The National Association of Epilepsy Centers recognizes Cook Children's Comprehensive Epilepsy Program as a Level 4 Pediatric Epilepsy Center. Level 4 epilepsy centers have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical and surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.

Our program coordinates the skills of a highly specialized team of experts across neurosciences and Cook Children's Health Care System. This team is made up of epileptologists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, nurse specialists, EEG technologists, nutritionists, nurse educators, social workers and Child Life specialists, all working together to ensure children with epilepsy receive the most accurate diagnosis and advanced treatment available.

More than 13,000 infants and children with seizures are treated at Cook Children’s each year. Annually, we perform more than 6,000 EEGs and 40-50 epilepsy surgeries, making Cook Children's Comprehensive Epilepsy Program one of the busiest pediatric epilepsy centers in the nation. And with specialized diagnostic tools, like our MEG, the newest generation of advanced imaging technology is now available to even our youngest patients.

For more information, visit our website.