Omagh woman raises thousands for epilepsy in memory of mother

AN Omagh woman has raised £2,500 for Epilepsy Action NI in memory of her mother who died suddenly from the condition.

Paula Devine took on the challenge of walking 15,000 steps a day throughout November and recently presented a cheque to the charity following a successful fundraising effort.

She told the UH how epilepsy affected the life of her mum Maureen and its impact on the wider family.

“My mother had epilepsy
from the age of two. She suffered from myoclonic seizures every other day of her life and she passed away in February 2020 due to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP),” Paula said.

Epilepsy Action NI says SUDEP is rare, affecting around one in every 1,000 adults with epilepsy each year. While there is no way to rule it out completely, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of SUDEP.

Paula added, “It was a real shock because we all knew that epilepsy was very dangerous
but we had never heard of this sudden unexpected death issue at all.”

The most effective way to reduce the risk of SUDEP is to have as few seizures as possible, especially tonic-clonic seizures. Having fewer seizures also reduces the risk of death or injury from status epilepticus (prolonged seizures) or accidents, a spokesperson for the charity explained.

As well as raising awareness of SUDEP, Paula hopes to highlight the impact that living with epilepsy can have on those suffering from the condition and their families.

She explained, “My mummy would have told me before that she would have felt isolated and nervous about going out of the house. She always would have wanted to have me, my brother or daddy with her in case she took sick and didn’t have anyone there.

“I would have always been very worried about her, saying ‘are you okay mummy’ and would have been torturing her a bit at times.

“I would have been worried about her 24/7.”

Paula says the work of organisations like Epilepsy Action NI, who provide support networks for sufferers and their families, is vital to sufferers and their family.

Despite the condition, Maureen was able to lead a very fulfilled life.

“She was such good fun, always the life and soul of the party and very caring.

“ Although she was unwell, she would have always been there for others who were
sick.

“She was nothing but loving, caring, loyal and devoted to me, my brother Kieran and my dad, Kieran Sr,” Paula recounted.

In her fundraising effort, which was done in November to coincide with what would have been Maureen’s 60th birthday, Paula initially set a target of £500 but that was quickly reached and she eventually hit five times that amount.

She said, “It felt great because I was doing this for mummy and everyone was backing me.

“The generosity of people has been amazing; every time I checked the fundraising page it just kept rising.”