Our Michelle

Thank you for finding our fundraising page to help us raise money to support people living with epilepsy and to raise awareness of SUDEP.

We are Karen (Michelle's mum) Laura, Jenna, Shane and Anthony (Michelle's cousins)

We are running the London Landmarks Half Marathon on the 2nd April 2023 in memory of our gorgeous girl and to raise money for a charity which will forever be very close in our hearts.

In May 2022 we tragically lost our beautiful daughter/cousin Michelle at the young age of 35 to SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death In Epilepsy) Michelle's loss has been devastating and unbearable to us all.

Losing Michelle has left the biggest void in our lives and we will never be the same again.

Michelle was beautiful, kind, caring, fun, loving, patient, gentle, so very brave, so very courageous and a wonderful daughter, niece, cousin and friend.

Michelle touched so many lives and if you were ever lucky enough to meet her you would never forget her, she always made a huge impact.

SUDEP claims 3 young lives a day in the UK and tragically many people living with epilepsy are still unaware of SUDEP.

Michelle had been living with epilepsy for 30 years and as a very close family who was completely involved and understanding of Michelle's illness, SUDEP came as a complete and utter shock.

Karen recalled having it mentioned to her when Michelle was a young child but only very briefly but the rest of the family had to google what it was.

How is it possible that SUDEP takes so many lives yet it is something that isn't discussed with people living with the illness or their families?

Michelle had 1000s of appointments throughout her life but SUDEP was never spoken about.

Our Michelle...

Michelle was born on 29th October 1986 she was a beautiful baby, so pretty,

a happy baby with lots of dark hair and she grew into a chatty, very mischievous little girl. Everything with Michelle was 100 miles an hour, she was so playful and ran everywhere instead of walking.

She constantly did cartwheels and would have been a great act in a circus we always thought.

She was full of beans, to say the least, and a proper little tomboy.

In 1991 just as Michelle started school at the age of 4 she contracted encephalitis (an infection in the brain) She spent 4 long months in Great Ormond Street hospital and was eventually discharged with a diagnosis of severe complex epilepsy.

Life from there on changed drastically.

Epilepsy took over Michelle's life and Karen had to learn how to look after Michelle and care for her through her complex illness which involved being able to administer her medication and look after her during all her seizure episodes.

Epilepsy caused Michelle to have some learning difficulties which meant she couldn't do all the things that she wanted to do.

However Michelle achieved so much in her life, she was so strong-willed, capable and tried her best at everything.

Michelle’s schooling fell behind due to her illness. Eventually, she moved to a wonderful school that specialises in epilepsy called St Elizabeth’s which was life-changing.

Her Grandad Brian became Karen and Michelle's rock, and played a big part in Michelle’s daily life, until October 2021 when he sadly passed away.

This greatly impacted Michelle’s life. They were devoted to each other which made us all so happy and proud. She missed him so much and still spoke to him daily, giving him all her news. She would light candles for him when she went to church.

Michelle adored her cousins and they adored her, Michelle was more like a little sister to them all.

Michelle loved the funfair and the seaside more than anything, picnics, horse riding, farms and family birthday parties.

More than anything Michelle’s Birthday was her favourite time of the year. She got so excited and would be making her plans weeks and weeks before with family and friends.

Knitting and sewing were her main hobbies. she was always making things, especially for her cousin's babies who she loved so much.

From a very young age, Michelle wanted to be a nurse. she had the most caring, gentle, loving nature and always went out of her way to help others right through her life.

She made friends with many young people who were similar to herself and she also met a very special young man called Deniz who became her boyfriend of 18 years. They were true sweethearts.

They had many meals and days out, trips to London and even a holiday in Spain.

Their relationship was so special but unfortunately for them, they always had to be chaperoned by their mums.

In the last few years of Michelle's life, she was living in supported Living she had her own flat and a certain amount of independence and she made great friendships.

Michelle was so happy during this time in her life and that's why it seems even more cruel that she was taken so suddenly by the illness she had learnt to live with for all those years.

Do you want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money in aid of the British Epilepsy Association and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause which means so much to me.

More information about British Epilepsy Association: Epilepsy Action is the UK's largest epilepsy charity, directly helping 1.1 million people each year. Epilepsy Action runs helplines advising on the condition, has Europe's most-visited epilepsy website and produces a wide range of information booklets, factsheets and other resources. As well as campaigning to improve services and raise awareness of epilepsy, we offer help to people with epilepsy, friends, families and carers through local support groups, local volunteers and regional conferences.