SHOCK LOSS
‘Wonderful’ mum, 27, with a ‘heart of gold’ found dead in her bed by her 10-year-old son just two days after Christmas
EXCLUSIVE: Robbie celebrated his 10th birthday two days before Christmas, then lost his mum two days after Christmas
THE family of a young woman who tragically died the day after Boxing Day have vowed to keep the lights sparkling on their Christmas tree as they battle their grief.
Katie Hyde was just 27 when she was found dead in bed by her 10-year-old son, Robbie on December 27. She suffered from epilepsy, and it is thought she had a massive seizure in her sleep.
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Katie’s father and step-mum, Earl Hyde and Heather Williams, will now raise Robbie in her memory, and have vowed to keep the Christmas lights twinkling to make him smile.
Heather, 39, says: “Robbie celebrated his 10th birthday two days before Christmas, and then he lost his mum two days after Christmas, so it’s been a very sad time for him.
“We’ve promised him we’ll have ‘Robbie’s Day’ – nothing to do with birthdays or Christmas – when he feels like celebrating once more.
“Katie was a really wonderful mum. We always worried about her having seizures, especially when she had Robbie to look after. Leaving Robbie without a mum was her greatest fear and tragically it’s come true.
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“She had a heart of gold, and she took on everyone else’s problems, which in turn made her seizures worse.
“She was too kind-hearted for her own good. The night before she died, she texted to tell me she loved me, it’s almost as though she sensed what was to come."
Katie, who had six siblings, was the second eldest of Earl’s children and was active and healthy throughout her childhood.
Earl says: “We went out on long cycle rides, and I took her swimming. She did ballet too, she was into everything. She was a real live wire.
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“She loved looking after her younger siblings and after leaving school she became a carer for the elderly. If anything, she took on too many worries.
“Not long before she died, she was doing unpaid work helping an elderly man in his home, because he didn’t have a care package in place, and she didn’t want to just leave him. That was so typical of her. On Boxing Day, we chatted on the phone for over an hour. Perhaps she had a sense that this was our goodbye.”
About epilepsy or SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy)
Aged 17, Katie fell pregnant with her son, Robbie, who was born two days before Christmas 2014.
Earl says: “Katie was a brilliant mum, she was very independent, and she coped so well. But soon after Robbie was born, Katie’s brother was in a serious RTA and Katie suffered a seizure, which we think was a reaction to the stress.
“It was a huge shock, she’d never had any health issues previously.”
On Boxing Day, we chatted on the phone for over an hour. Perhaps she had a sense that this was our goodbye
Earl Hyde
Katie’s seizures continued and she was diagnosed with epilepsy. Medication helped, but they could not be controlled.
Earl says: “Sometimes her seizures could last 20 minutes, and she was in and out of hospital. It was really worrying. I used to dread something happening to her.”
Katie got on well with Earl’s partner, Heather and the two enjoyed chats over ice-creams.
Heather says: “Katie suffered with anxiety, because of her epilepsy, and we really bonded over that. We went to self-groups together and we’d go for ice-cream and a chat. It always helped her.
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“She and I were close.”
Shortly before Christmas 2024, Katie was taken into hospital after a seizure.
Earl says: “On Robbie’s 10th birthday, I took him into hospital with balloons and party hats and the nurses found a private room for us. I am so glad looking back that I did that because it was his last ever birthday with his mum.”
Katie was discharged from hospital on Christmas Day and spent Christmas with Earl’s parents. But on December 27, Robbie woke to find his mother dead in the bed beside him.
Losing Katie has broken our hearts and taken a little boy’s mummy away
Heather Williams
Earl says: “I rushed to the house, but it was too late, she had been dead for several hours. Poor Robbie was beside himself, blaming himself that he hadn’t woken up sooner.
“I told him it was Katie’s time to go, and he couldn’t have stopped it.
“There were times in the past when he saved her from a seizure, so he had already helped to prolong her life.
“It’s been horrendous for him losing his mum and especially so close to his birthday and Christmas. Heather and I have promised him a ‘Robbie Day’ where we celebrate with him.
“We’re leaving the lights on the tree to keep us smiling.”
Earl and Heather will now raise Robbie, and they are appealing for funds to help them with the cost of Katie’s funeral.
Heather says: We’d like to raise awareness that this can happen to any family – epilepsy is a killer.
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“I’d like to see more support for patients after they leave hospital, bed sensors for example. Losing Katie has broken our hearts and taken a little boy’s mummy away. She was so lovely with her whole life ahead of her and we don’t want other families to suffer like this.”
The family are now fundraising for Katie's funeral. To donate, click .
Epilepsy - the symptoms and causes
EPILEPSY is a common condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures.
They can start at any age, but usually occur either in childhood or in people over 60.
The seizures can affect people in different ways, but possible symptoms include:
- uncontrollable jerking and shaking, called a "fit"
- losing awareness and staring blankly into space
- becoming stiff
- strange sensations, such as a "rising" feeling in the tummy, unusual smells or tastes, and a tingling feeling in your arms or legs
- collapsing
In epilepsy, the electrical signals in the brain become scrambled and there are sometimes sudden bursts of electrical activity. This is what causes seizures.
In most cases, it's not clear why this happens.
But experts believe it could be linked to genes, as around one in three people with epilepsy have a family member with it.
Source: NHS
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