Mother who lost only child to rare condition says she only learnt about it from death certificate

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Esther said her son was her ‘sidekick’ She said her son would suffer from between three and four seizures each week, leaving him with injuries such as bruises and carpet burn, but she has claimed they were both not made aware of SUDEP by John Paul’s doctors at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow until she saw it written on his death certificate. open image in gallery Esther said John Paul would suffer with three or four ‘violent’ seizures each week “He’d come round from the seizures and go straight to bed and lie down,” Esther said. “I just never, ever felt I had any support.” open image in gallery John Paul was 34 when he died from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy On January 7, 2022, Esther said she and some of John Paul’s friends suddenly found they could not get in touch with him – but she said it was not too unusual as it would often take him a few days to recover from a seizure. “If I knew about SUDEP, he wouldn’t be in his own flat in the first place.” open image in gallery Esther said her son would struggle to socialise with friends and maintain a job with his seizures Esther said she made arrangements for her son’s funeral, claiming she first heard about SUDEP when she saw it written as the cause of death on John Paul’s death certificate.