Story
Our gorgeous little one year old Freddie died suddenly and unexpectedly on the 10th April in London. He was the happiest and most smiley of little boys; always cuddly, wriggly and very hungry. His mummy Amber, I (Steve) his daddy and all his family loved him deeply and we are all heartbroken to lose him. Our lives will never be the same.
During his short life, he spent more time in hospitals and Doctor's surgeries than anyone of any age should, but he was always happy, resilient and made friends wherever he went. He started suffering prolonged seizures when he was six months old and endured them up until the week before he died - being hospitalised on each occasion. He was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 8 months old but despite this his death was completely unexpected and as yet (May 2017) the cause still unknown. We may know in time or we may not.
We want to do something meaningful to remember Freddie by and that’s why we are asking our families and friends to make donations in his name. We have chosen to support a number of charities that are important to our family. Charities that either directly supported Freddie and us whilst he was alive, that have helped Amber and I since his death or that continue to do important work helping people with conditions like Freddie's epilepsy and researching sudden and unexpected deaths (and their links to epilepsy).
Freddie started to have seizures when he was 6 months old and whilst this is not uncommon, the complexity and severity of Freddie's in someone so young is uncommon. He was diagnosed as suffering from Epilepsy when he was 8 months old and he was being treated as such. Unfortunately, his treatment had not yet managed to get his seizures under control although we were hopeful for the future. Epilepsy Society fund vital research and support families or individuals, young and old, that suffer from epilepsy. Seeing any infant, especially your own child suffering a seizure is utterly heart-breaking and dealing with a sudden unexpected death even more so. Research being done by the Epilepsy Society into the causes and treatment of epilepsy and increased risk factors of SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) is vital. We are keen to support this research to help others in the future.