Lea mother sets up fundraiser for son’s lifesaving epilepsy equipment

Jamie wearing the new watch which will alert Cheryl.

A mother from Lea has set up a fundraiser to raise money for her son’s lifesaving epilepsy equipment.

Cheryl Kingbrooks’ 23-year-old son, Jamie, was diagnosed with epilepsy in January this year. Since then, he has been suffering from seizures which have even led to him fracturing his spine and ending up in hospital.

Cheryl said: “He wants to be able to live on his own but that isn’t possible because he needs some alarms and warning aids.

“He just wants to be a normal lad and be independent.”

However, this is not possible without lifesaving epilepsy equipment which they are saving up for.

Not only does Jamie suffer with epilepsy, but he was also diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of eleven.

A few days ago Jamie suffered from a large seizure where he stopped breathing, he is still recovering in hospital. Had Cheryl not been there he would not have survived, which is why she is fundraising for the equipment.

Cheryl said: “We are waiting for an MRI to be done to see what treatment is needed. He is still getting confused after all the seizures.

“He had two Tonic-Clonic seizures, the first one he stopped breathing and I had to give him three breaths. The second was the one that fractured his spine, which was 14 hours after the first.

“He then went on to have around 130 mini seizures that last spilt seconds.”

A bed alarm, which costs £591, will alert people in the adjacent flat in case of a seizure while a specialist watch, costing £249, will alert Cheryl or Jamie’s dad in case of an emergency.

She is also hoping to raise money for two pillows which will prevent suffocation.

The watch will send text messages to Cheryl in case of an emergency.

Cheryl has already raised £485 of her £1,330 target to help her son. She has already bought the watch which will give them both ‘peace of mind.’

She added: “So far we have raised enough for the watch, which is fantastic. I am so grateful to anyone who has donated or even shared it in their facebook profile. I know times are hard for everyone right now.

“Once we’ve reached the target and my son has recovered from the fracture, it will mean he can be independent and live on his own.”

You can donate to her GoFundMe page here.

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