Our son went to sleep and never woke up after dying from condition I’d never heard of
WHEN Anny Marrett got a phone call to say her son hadn't shown up to work that day, her heart dropped.
The mum, from Sydney, Australia, knew something had to be seriously wrong given George had always gushed over how much he loved his job.
And given how hardworking he was she knew he would never miss a day of work and not tell anyone.
Just hours later her worst fears were confirmed - George had died in his sleep at home from a condition that, even as a GP, his mum had never heard of.
Heartbroken, Anny is now sharing George's story to raise awareness for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) - which killed him aged just 29.
She said: "I’m a GP but I hadn’t heard of the condition, I’m ashamed to say.
"There’s more awareness about SIDS."
George had been diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 14, which he managed ever since with medication.
He had never had any health concerns until he began feeling more and more tired, not long after scoring his dream job at Citibank.
However, he quickly dismissed his fatigue and put it down to the long hours he was working.
One night, he ignored his exhaustion and decided to still go out partying with friends - completely unaware he would not wake up the next morning.
We think a combination of lack of sleep, missing tablets and having a few drinks possibly contributed to his death
Anny Marrett
Anny told : "He knew he wasn’t sleeping that well.
"He’d been at a party and he’d come home late; he’d had a few drinks.
"He might not have taken his medication dose before the party.
"A friend called him around lunch to ask him for golf but he turned it down because he was too tired.
"We think a combination of lack of sleep, missing tablets and having a few drinks possibly contributed to his death."
George’s two flatmates were away for the weekend, which meant nobody knew what had happened to him until he didn’t show up for work.
He died off two months short of his 30th birthday from SUPEP - which is when a person with epilepsy dies suddenly and prematurely, and no reason for death is found.
What is SUDEP?
Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) refers to the unexpected death of a seemingly healthy person with epilepsy, where no cause of death can been found.
Rather than pertaining to a specific disease or condition, it is used to denote a category to which these types of unexplained deaths are assigned.
The precise mechanism, or cause, of death is, as yet, not understood.
Most sudden deaths of people with epilepsy are unwitnessed and this makes it difficult to determine what, exactly, occurs in the last moments of life.
By definition, the post-mortem does not reveal a cause of death suggesting that the terminal event is due to a disturbance of function, not structure.
Most frequently, but not always, there is evidence for seizure activity prior to death and recent studies strongly support a close relationship between seizure episodes (especially generalized convulsions) and SUDEP.
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SUDEP occurs in approximately one per 1000 people with epilepsy, with many of the deaths occurring overnight.
It's estimated that around 600 people die each year due to SUDEP.
Epilepsy Action Australia chief executive Carol Ireland said there may be obvious signs a seizure had happened, though not always.
She said: "In most cases, the person is found to have passed away in bed while they were sleeping.
"The common thing I hear from grieving families is, 'Why didn’t we know about the risks of this?'
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"Reducing risk factors associated with SUDEP and epilepsy mortality can save lives and give patients with epilepsy peace of mind.
"The conversation about risk between doctor and patients with epilepsy needs to be accepted as routine just as it is with other chronic conditions."
This article was originally published in and republished with permission.