As the only police officer in a quiet Queensland country town, Tom Mort has become used to delivering "gut-wrenching news" to the people he knows and loves.
But one particular case in the lead-up to Christmas 2020 remains in his mind, when he received "the call no one wants to" on an otherwise uneventful evening in Mount Perry, a town of 500 people west of Bundaberg.
The daughter of his close friends, Chris and Debra Tibbotts, died unexpectedly in Brisbane.
An autopsy subsequently revealed Maddie Gill, 22, had suffered a sudden unexpected death by epilepsy.
"We see some pretty horrific things, but having to deliver news to someone that they've had a loved one that won't be coming home is tough," Senior Constable Mort said.
"Having to give that news to friends was honestly the hardest thing I think I've ever done in my life."
Maddie's stepfather said he wouldn't forget the day his world was turned upside down.
"Maddie had called us one afternoon when she was on her way home from work and everything was fine," Mr Tibbotts said.
"Then [Tom] got the call that no one in a small community wants to.
"Him walking up our driveway is something I will never forget."
Epilepsy deaths
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that can cause seizures due to disruptions in electrical activity in the brain.
About 250,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy in Australia and a new person is diagnosed every 33 minutes, according to Epilepsy Queensland.
Sudden unexpected death by epilepsy (SUDEP) affects about 1 in 1,000 people with epilepsy and is not well understood.
"SUDEP is when someone with epilepsy just dies in their sleep or when they're doing an activity and it's just inexplicable," Mrs Tibbotts said.
"There's just so many different epilepsy conditions, it affects people in very different ways.
"But it's not spoken about enough and not many people know about it."
Raising awareness
Two years on from Maddie's death, the officer in charge at Mount Perry police station was sick of feeling powerless about the lack of awareness surrounding the condition.
So he decided to lace up his sneakers and pound the pavement on a 215-kilometre round trip from Mount Perry to Bundaberg, despite having little running experience.
"My biggest run prior to this was 22 kilometres long when I was a lot younger and a lot fitter," he said.
"It's nothing compared to those diagnosed with epilepsy and what they have to live with.
"There's just so many people out there that don't know much about it, people you work with or that you pass on the street could have epilepsy."
The Tibbotts said they were forever grateful for Senior Constable Mort's fundraising campaign in their daughter's memory.
"Just bringing it to the front of people's minds so they can have a conversation about epilepsy and discuss it is important," Mr Tibbotts said.
"It's something that we unfortunately were not as aware of as we could have been."
'Never say never'
While an ankle injury sidelined the officer midway through his March marathon, it didn't stop the money rolling in, with more than $20,000 raised for Epilepsy Queensland.
Senior Constable Mort said the pain was worth it and had him eyeing off a potential comeback – all for a good cause.
"Never say never," he said.
"It's always possible to push myself more if there is a next time."
