On June 9th I am taking part in Blenheim Triathlon in memory of my life long friend Jane Swarbrick. Jane died suddenly and completely unexpectedly on April 19th last year aged just 24. The cause of her death was SUDEP which stands for Sudden Unexplained Death from Epilepsy.

SUDEP claims the lives of 500 people in the UK every year: more than cot death and AIDS combined, yet many people have never even heard of it. In most cases, individuals and families who might be affected are never told of even the existence of the risk of death due to epilepsy.

A study commissioned by charity Epilepsy Bereaved found that 42 per cent of SUDEP deaths might have been prevented. Yet sadly, since SUDEP is not talked about enough, many people who have epilepsy may not realize the risk their condition presents. Many are simply not aware of the triggers that can lead to a fatal seizure, such as lack of sleep and too much alcohol- an all too common way of life for young people.

Jane’s death affected many people and her family and friends have set a goal to raise £20,000 in aid of the Epilepsy Society and Epilepsy Bereaved. To help reach this goal I taking part in the 2012 Blenheim Triathlon along with 23 friends and family who loved Jane we are swimming, cycling and running in her memory.

To donate visit:

Fundraising Webpage: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ForJane

Send SMS Text "JANE96 £5" to 70070 and donate £5 (or £10/£15 etc)

For further information visit http://www.forjane.co.uk