CAMPUS NEWS - Durham College and UOIT

16 The Chronicle March 17, 2009
By Jonnel Briscoe
Chronicle Staff
Cassidy has instilled hope in the hearts
of many people around the world with epilepsy.
“I asked my mom if I can start a special
day so that people with epilepsy can
know they aren’t alone,” she said.
The bright young lady is only 10 years old
but has already accomplished a lot in her
life. And there’s no slowing her down—she
plans on becoming “an actress, a veterinarian,
an artist and a purple day person,” she
said in a phone interview from her home in
Nova Scotia.
She is the founder of Purple Day for Epilepsy
and she is having fun campaigning the
cause.
Cassidy started Purple Day last year because
she wanted other kids with epilepsy
to know that it was okay. She talked to her
friends and school for support with the huge
project she was about to tackle, and there
were no let downs, they were supportive
and onboard.
“I chose purple because it’s my favourite
colour,” said Cassidy.
“I told her that the colour for epilepsy
was lavender and she said ‘well lavender is a
shade of purple’,” said Cassidy’s mom Angela
who doesn’t want their last name printed.
Cassidy was seven years old when she
was diagnosed with epilepsy, a disorder of
the brain defined by frequent seizures.
It causes a change in function or behaviour
and can often disrupt learning. There
are different forms of seizures, some of
which include a blank stare, muscle spasms,
altered awareness or a convulsion. They
may occur multiple times a day, or rarely. It
can however, be well controlled by medication.
Epilepsy can be present at any age though
it often begins in childhood or in later years.
The disorder affects over 50 million people
worldwide.
Angela said Cassidy doesn’t have convulsions.
She zones out and her legs gave out
all the time. “She would cry for no reason,”
she said.
With medication most of the symptoms
have disappeared, even though she
CAMPUS NEWS
Little girl’s dream comes true
By Krista Paxton
Chronicle staff
Students and staff can go head
over heels this semester as Yoga
Love returns to Durham College
and UOIT.
Yoga Love was developed
by yoga instructor Niki André, and
brought to Durham by the Women’s
Centre. Its success last semester led to
André’s return, and Wednesdays at 5 p.m.
students and staff can enjoy a free lesson
in relaxation and meditation.
“It’s rewarding to have people say it
made a difference in as little as a week,”
said André. “I hear stories about how
they’re applying it to the outside
world and using the technique to
prevent injury or stay calm.”
The hour and a half class provides
exercise, breathing techniques
and flexibility training through André’s
unique blend of flow and postures.
As students work to finish final
assignments, and with exams
on the horizon, Yoga Love
provides an outlet for lowering
and maintaining stress.
“Stress is my specialty,” said
still zones out occasionally. It’s being controlled.
When Cassidy was diagnosed with epilepsy,
her mom said she and Cassidy’s dad
felt uncertainty and disbelief. “I thought,
where do we go from here?”
They didn’t change the house in anyway,
but they were more aware of her triggers,
bright flashing light.
The only change that was made was the
bath routine. For her safety, Cassidy can’t
take showers or baths alone. “One of us always
has to sit outside the bathroom door
with a book or something,”
said Angela.
She also can’t go bike
riding alone.
When she was diagnosed,
Cassidy was
afraid to tell people
about her epilepsy
because she thought
they would make fun
of her. “She didn’t
want to talk about it,”
said Angela.
She finally
opened up when the
Epilepsy Association
of Nova Scotia did a
presentation in her
class. “They asked
the class if they knew
anyone with epilepsy
and that’s when she
pulled her teacher
aside and told him
that she was ready.
She finally spoke
out about it with her
peers and teachers,”
said Angela.
When she zones
out she isn’t afraid to
let her teacher know
that she missed
what he said or ask
him for help, which helps her stay on top of
things in school.
She visits the neurologist every six
months for an Electroencephalograph
(EEG), where doctors hook electrodes up
to her head to monitor her brain activity.
LITTLE GIRL WITH BIG DREAMS:
Cassidy is the founder of Purple
Day, which is a campaign for
epilepsy awareness.
Sometimes she has a sleep deprived EEG to
see what happens in stressful situations, but
it doesn’t always trigger a seizure. “Sometimes
it does, sometimes it doesn’t,” said Angela.
“It’s not foolproof.”
There is more to Cassidy’s life, though,
than seizures and neurologist visits. She
wanted the cause to go international so that
everyone around the world would know
that they aren’t alone.
Cassidy, determined to make her dream
come true, sent out letters, made phone calls
and did multiple interviews to make Purple
Day happen.
She asked her
mother to send
emails to David
Letterman, Barack
Obama and the Canadian
government
for support.
Also with the help
of her mother she
stared a Facebook
group for Purple Day
called, PURPLE DAY
for Epilepsy.
“I have Facebook
and I am only 10,”
yelled Cassidy.
She does TV and
radio Public Service
Announcements
(PSA) to spread
the word about her
cause.
“We went to my
school where I practice
cheerleading and
at the end of the commercial
we held up a
sign that said ‘Supporting
Epilepsy Around
the World’,” she said in
excitement.
She says her friends
are helping her out
and supporting her by wearing purple on
Purple Day March 26.
Cassidy doesn’t only receive support
from her friends and teacher, but other people
across North America.
“I got a video from Sheree Fitch singing
André.
She added that her class tends to attract those who
lead fast-paced and
overactive lifestyles. Though it may seem counterintuitive
for students and staff always on the go to attend
her class, André said its gentle and restorative
atmosphere attracts people who need just that.
“Someone who’s very active both mentally and
physically can find a balance by attending
Yoga Love,” she said.
about Mable Murple and Purple Day,” said
Cassidy.
She also received a signed book from
Robert Munsch. Both Sheree Fitch and Robert
Munsch are renowned authors of children’s
books.
Cassidy also met Paul Shaffer of the David
Letterman Show and a host of celebrities,
at Dylan’s Candy Bar for a Purple New
York Party in New York City on March 10.
The New York-based Anita Kaufmann
Foundation charity is dedicated to raising
epilepsy awareness and is also working
along side Cassidy to launch Purple Day
USA.
There are many events kicking off around
the world to raise awareness and support
the cause. From Canada to the USA to the
Netherlands, multiple communities are
pitching in to raise awareness.
Melissa McBride, event co-ordinator for
the Durham Region, said she is contacting
schools and corporations within Durham
Region to join in on March 26 and wear
something purple, and so far 39 schools and
six corporations have confirmed that they
will participate.
Also, for the illumination campaign,
“I have been contacting local landmarks
across Ontario to illuminate their landmark
in purple,” said McBride.
Participants include The CN Tower in Toronto,
Niagara Falls, The Big Nickel in Sudbury
and the Pickering Town Centre and
the Oshawa Centre.
Despite the PSAs, trips and planning,
none of these activities gets in the way of
Cassidy’s schoolwork.
“We try to book activities around school
hours,” said Angela. “So either before or after
school, or during March breaks.”
Angela said she didn’t think Purple Day
would go this big. “It has built her [Cassidy]
confidence and I am very proud of her,” she
said.
Even with her busy schedule promoting
Purple Day, fun trips out of town to meet
celebrities and neurologist visits, Cassidy
leads a normal life.
“She does acting and cheerleading,” said
Angela. “Everything is normal.”
“Except for the epilepsy!” shouted Cassidy.
Lowering stress levels: Yoga Love
André began practising yoga 10 years ago. As a singer
she took voice lessons, and her vocal coach introduced her
to gentle stretches and breath work. Since then she has
become a certified instructor, is registered with the Yoga
Alliance and has been teaching for four years in schools
across Durham Region.
This semester André hopes to expand her lessons,
and bring students and staff on campus the tools needed
to find balance when their lives spin out of control.
“I also want to explore the balance between the feminine,
receptive, open side in relation to the more direct,
compact, assertive masculine side,” said André.
“It’s a dance, a balance.”
André conducts the class at a varied pace, and offers
different posture variations for those with different
levels of experience. She reminds her students
that yoga is a practice, and as such advancement
should be achieved at one’s own pace.
Yoga Love can be found in the South Village Residence
dance studio on the fifth floor, and beginners
are welcome.
Photo by Krista Paxton
YOGA LOVIN: Yoga Love instructor
Niki Andre sits in the King Pigeon
pose. Her class can be found in the
South Village Res on Wednesdays.