Heartbreak as mum, 31, found dead just feet from newborn son's cot
31.05.2024 - 07:55
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A young epileptic mum who died suddenly just feet away from her newborn son's cot has left her heartbroken family bereft and fearing her sister could be next.
Daniella Jane, 31, was found dead in bed by her partner Reggie, 29, back in January. The couple's now nine-month-old son Ronnie was in his cot nearby.
A post-mortem examination has since found that Daniella died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy SUDEP - a term used to describe cases where there is no clear reason why a person with epilepsy has died.
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Her mother, Kerry Cook, 51, said she only learned about SUDEP a few months before her daughter died, despite having raised two daughters with epilepsy and visiting many hospitals over the decades.
Had she known about SUDEP, which kills between 500 and 600 people in the UK a year, Kerry said she would have been more present and supportive for Daniella, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of nine and had up to 30 seizures a month.
Kerry's younger daughter Georgia, 26, also has epilepsy and fears she could suffer the same fate as her sister.
"Both of my daughters got epilepsy, one of them had it for 21 years and my other daughter's had it for 13 years," Kerry told the PA news agency. "In all that time, I had heard of the word SUDEP but never had anyone explain it to me or what risks were involved.
"Then on the 24th of January this year, I got a phone call at 8.20am telling me that my daughter had passed away. If I had known the dangers, I would have gone and moved in with my daughter.
"All of the ifs and buts have tormented me greatly, but I just wish that someone would have highlighted the severity of the situation.