Campaign plea
A FATHER, whose son died during an epileptic fit, is backing a campaign for better awareness of the condition.
Davie Hume's 12-year-old son, Darragh, who suffered from epilepsy, died in June after he had played football all day and decided to have a bath when he got home.
Mr Hume said: "He went into the bathroom and shut the door. That was the last time I saw him alive.
"We initially thought Darragh had had a fit and drowned in the bath.
"The guilt nearly drove us over the edge. But the coroner's report stated he did not drown, he died a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy."
Now Mr Hume has joined Epilepsy Bereaved to campaign for better awareness of the condition and of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).
"My family and I are angry and disappointed at the total lack of information that was given to us when Darragh was diagnosed with epilepsy and the dangers of SUDEP," he said.
"I had never even heard of SUDEP before, despite having epilepsy myself for 27 years.
"Surely, as parents of children with this condition, we have the right to be informed of this potentially fatal side to the illness.
"I could have taken preventative measures to reduce the risk of Darragh dying from SUDEP and it would have been a huge benefit during the grieving of my son's death to have known that we were not to blame.
"I now hope to use my experience to campaign to improve epilepsy services and influence doctors and nurses to discuss SUDEP at diagnosis."
Darragh had suffered from epilepsy since he was nine but he was a promising young football player, captain of his school team and playing for Thistle Youth FC.
Around 300 people attended a memorial service for him at his school, White Styles Middle in Sompting, in the summer.
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Monday 28 May 2012
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