If you're reading this, you will likely know that I have epilepsy. Until I was diagnosed a few years ago, I didn't know very much about it. When I was young, a classmate of mine had epilepsy; he wore a helmet to school and experienced convulsive seizures that made him very unwell. This was pretty much what I thought epilepsy was. 

It had never occurred to me that the episodes I had been having, which were so difficult for me to describe and often happened when I was alone, could have been epilepsy. When I was told that I was having focal seizures, I felt like I knew even less about what epilepsy was. 

The information provided by Epilepsy Action and other epilepsy charities continues to help me understand my condition and they are resources I look to often. 

Having epilepsy affects me in more ways than I usually talk about - it's not just about seizures and not being able to drive. Epilepsy and the medication I take for it affects my mood, my self-esteem and my anxiety; it impacts my sleep and how tired I feel; it causes problems with my memory, and, sometimes, affects how I read and understand words and numbers. 

I am learning that I have to be mindful of factors like stress, tiredness, mood and making sure I eat and hydrate enough to help to prevent seizures - this isn't something I'm always good at. So, since good health helps me feel well, I've opted for a personal challenge for my fundraising this year. 

Throughout March, I will do 26 minutes of 26 different exercises for 26 days, finishing on Purple Day itself. It might not sound like much, but I've not been on top form of late and - trust me - it's a challenge for me to row, climb stairs or skip for 26 minutes straight (especially by day 26)! 

I'm fundraising for Epilepsy Action this Purple Day to help make sure people with epilepsy continue to get the support they need, when they need it most. Epilepsy Action not only provides information; they also operate a UK help line for advice and support, and an online chat service to answer questions. 

To find out more about Purple Day and the work Epilepsy Action does, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk/purpleday 

If you're interested, you'll also find information on there about focal seizures, other kinds of epileptic seizures and how you can help if you're with someone having a seizure. 

Thank you for your support and any contributions you are able to make this year.