Student Voice

For a young person with epilepsy, support can mean more than doctors' appointments and treatment plans. It can also mean having someone to talk to, a community to belong to, or a reminder that others are thinking about them.

This is the need Nehashree Bheemu hopes to address through Purple Hour, the nonprofit she founded in July 2025. The Wrentham high school senior works with a team of volunteers at Purple Hour to provide care kits, tutoring and opportunities for connection to children and teenagers with epilepsy. Since its launch, Purple Hour has delivered more than 550 kits across five states, with support from hospitals including Boston Children's.

The care kits are designed to offer comfort during difficult moments. Bheemu worked with neurologists to help develop the kits, which include a custom Purple Hour T-shirt, anxiety strips, stress balls, coloring books, slap bracelets, affirmation cards, and a pocket hug-a card reminding the recipient that support is always within reach.

Each item serves a purpose: the fidget toys and calming strips are designed to reduce stress and overwhelm, while affirmation cards provide emotional support. Coloring books provide an outlet for creative expression, and the T-shirt represents a connection to other children and teenagers who may be experiencing the same challenges.

"I thought care kits were a good way to go about this because they give children and teenagers something to look forward to and something they can take home with them from their hospital trips or whatever they're going through," said Bheemu, a student at the Advanced Math and Science Academy in Marlborough. "They can look back on it and think, 'There's someone in this world who has thought about me and put this together for me.'"

Bheemu was inspired to start Purple Hour after seeing her cousin struggle with the condition and realizing how few mental health resources were available. For Bheemu, the kits go beyond a collection of objects; they are a way to make young people feel seen and remembered.

The T-shirts extend that message beyond the individual recipient. Even when young people with epilepsy live in different states, the T-shirts serve as a visible reminder that they are part of a community.

"Some of it is also a reminder that you're not alone," Bheemu said. "One person in California could be wearing a Purple Hour T-shirt, and someone in New York could also be wearing it. You have a connection, even if you don't really feel like you do."

The sense of connection is central to Purple Hour's larger mission. While epilepsy research and medical treatment are necessary, Bheemu pointed out that young people with epilepsy can have difficulty finding spaces focused specifically on their emotional and social needs.

"Kids and teenagers with epilepsy don't have much of a voice out there," Bheemu said. "There are very few mental health groups that are really active in their cause and support the specific age range that Purple Hour is tailored to."

Purple Hour's work therefore extends beyond care kits. Its free virtual tutoring program provides individualized academic support, matching students with tutors based on age group, academic need, and subject.

The organization grew from Bheemu's original idea of hosting monthly virtual meetings for teens with epilepsy to come together, play games and make crafts. These meetings give participants an opportunity to connect with others who may understand experiences that can be difficult to explain to friends or classmates.

For Bheemu, creating that community is just as important as providing physical resources. She wants epileptic teens and children to know that they are not defined solely by their condition. They are students, friends and individuals with ambitions, interests and identities beyond their diagnoses.

Purple Hour's program reflects that goal in different ways. A care kit can offer stress relief and comfort during a difficult day, tutoring can help a student manage academic challenges, and virtual meetings provide community and understanding.

Through each part of the organization, Bheemu hopes to make one message clear: young people with epilepsy deserve support that recognizes them as whole individuals, not just patients.