On the eve of Purple Day, a Stamford woman is sharing her personal battle with a rare form of epilepsy in hopes of dispelling myths and promoting awareness.

Susan Carnes, 65, says her life “spiraled out of control” one year ago as she suffered memory loss and struggled to handle even the most basic daily tasks.

“It was all a ginormous challenge to me -- simple things I've been doing all of my life, like paying bills and keeping the household going, suddenly became massive insurmountable challenges,” Carnes said Sunday.

“The reason turned out to be simple: I have a rare form of epilepsy that manifests itself through things like memory loss and profound confusion. I lost total control of my life,” she said.

But Carnes said “there was a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“My doctor eventually diagnosed me with epilepsy and now I'm on an anti-seizure medication that really does the job. I got my life back,” Carnes said.

Thursday, March 26 is Purple Day, established in 2008 to raise awareness and dispel myths about a disease that doctors say can be managed with medication and other treatments.