Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My Dad was diagnosed with epilepsy aged 17. He went through a difficult journey in finding the right treatment to manage his seizures, trialling many different medications and therapies with unpleasant side effects before receiving the treatment which worked best for him. The condition still impacted his life significantly; disrupting his education; preventing him from engaging in one of his favourite activities, driving; and the constant worry of having a seizure at any moment.

He never let on just how much it affected him. He was (is and always will be) a great man, referred to as a true gentle giant by all.

In 2021, on July 15th, he passed away suddenly at the age of 54. The cause of death was SUDEP -- sudden unexpected death in epileptic people -- which is when someone who is known to have epilepsy dies unexpectedly with no known cause.

The Epilepsy Society is a brilliant charity based in the UK which supports people like my Dad through 'research, advocacy and care'. Their vision is 'for a world where epilepsy is irrelevant and people with epilepsy lead the lives they want to lead.'

In my Dad's memory, I will be skydiving on his birthday next year to raise money for the Epilepsy Society. It is my hope that this money will be able to help those with epilepsy and their families so that epilepsy can be better controlled in everyone, reduce the risk of SUDEP and to continue to raise awareness of this condition.

I love you, Dad. I miss you with all my heart. ❤️