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National
Kali Lindsay

Northumberland man's heartbreak as fiancée tragically dies aged 26 of epilepsy

A Northumberland man has spoken of his heartache after his fiancée died suddenly from epilepsy.

Ewan Duff, 31, was devastated after his partner, Rachel Morgan, died in January this year aged 26 after suffering an epileptic seizure during the night.

The primary school teacher, who had not been diagnosed with epilepsy, was taken to hospital and tragically died several days later.

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Ewan, who is originally from Stocksfield, said: "Rachel was really humble, really selfless, really thoughtful and loved children. She was really dedicated to helping children.

"She was really outgoing, she was willing to give everything a go, and was just amazing and the nicest person you could meet."

The couple, who lived in Cumbria, met four years ago and were planning their lives together.

Grieving the loss of Rachel, Ewan is now focused on raising awareness of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

Ewan said: "As expected this has thrown me, especially at the start of our lives together.

"I had never heard of SUDEP until it was put on the death certificate. It is something people don't know about but it is something quite important and people do need to know about it."

Now, he is planning to walk Hadrian's Wall in one night to raise money for the charity SUDEP Action - a charity dedicated to raising awareness of epilepsy risks and tackling epilepsy deaths.

He said: "The good thing about SUDEP Action is that it provides funded research and makes it accessible to patients, families, and medical professionals. Training courses can be made available to clinicians and this will go a long way to help their understanding and ways of treating the condition.

"Too often, when things are misunderstood by doctors they provide alternative diagnoses on assumption. If you suspect they are giving you the wrong advice, don't stand for it.

"For bereaved families, SUDEP Action provides invaluable counselling support and grief support. Charity conferences, Coffee Club Meetings, and Zoom calls are made available to families far and wide in a similar situation. Getting to know those who understand it and are living through it like you is so lifting. I know that first hand."

Ewan plans to carry out the fundraising event on August 6-7 this year, and hopes to complete it in 27 to 30 hours.

He added: "Hadrian's Wall is a special place for me. Plenty of memorable dog walks when I was younger. Rachel's family also enjoyed some walks along the route in previous years. In time, I hoped that Rach and I could visit Sycamore Gap together. The magical tree that's so iconic to Northumberland."

To donate to the fundraising campaign visit here.

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