Purple Day: Georgetown family raising awareness for epilepsy

The Crunks say they won't stop until the day epilepsy awareness will common knowledge for everyone.

GEORGETOWN, Ky (WTVQ)- Every year,  March 26th is known as Purple Day, which raises awareness for epilepsy.  The neurological brain disorder affects millions of people here in the United States, including one family in Georgetown.

In 2014, Lyndsey Crunk found out she had epilepsy.

“I was 12 years old when I was diagnosed with JME, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. And I just kind of experienced some jerks and some twitches,” said Lyndsey Crunk.

Crunk’s symptoms got worse, and eventually she experienced a major seizure in 2015. After spending time in the hospital, she endured an emotional rollercoaster of depression and anxiety. She was afraid to go back to school for fear of another seizure happening, with no one to help.

“So after Lyndsey’s diagnosis, we went to school to talk to administration to see what their protocols were, as far as if she were to have a seizure, would they know what to do,” said Cyndi Crunk, Lyndsey’s mother. “And they were not required to have seizure first-aid training. And that scared Lyndsey. It scared me. And we walked out of there, and Lyndsey said, she looked at me and said ‘mom, we have to do more.’

Lyndsey advocated for changes, and after years of work, The Lydnsey Crunk Act was named after her. The legislation helped create seizure safe schools in Kentucky. School staff are required to complete a one hour seizure training course, among other requirements.

The Crunk’s work, however, doesn’t end there. They are now advocating for more changes in the workforce. Lyndsey graduated high school and now has a job. She wants to see legislation that better helps those with epilepsy while at work or out in the world.
One bill that passed in the House would require places of work to post information about giving first aid to seizure victims..

“If these signs are posted in businesses , this could save a life,” said Cyndi. “You could be out in public and you remember what this sign says. So it’s not just going to be about employees, employers. It’s about educating the general public.”

That bill isn’t a law yet. However, The Crunks say they won’t stop until the day epilepsy awareness will be common knowledge for everyone.

To find out more about epilepsy, click here.

You can reach Cyndi Crunk through here Facebook here.