Crystal-Claire Louise helena Burgoine

I can still remember the day Crystal was born i was over the moon i was a big sister and not just a
little sister anymore.
I looked after Crystal for many years like she was my own till the day she went in to care in May
1996. I missed her bad but also had my own daughter to look after and care for but saw her as much
as i could. Crystal met her partner (Paul) while still at school (Green School for girls) and become
a mummy to Aimee in 2003 and i was at the birth along with Paul and Crystals Foster mum. Crystal was
a wonderful mummy to her. Crystal went on to have baby Jemma with (Chris who was a old flame) in
October 2007 and was also a great mummy to her. As me and Crystal had grown up and become mummys (me
to 4kids her with 2) we didn't see each other much as we would have liked but was always there if we
needed each other.

Not long after Crystal had Aimee she started getting pins and needles down one side every now and
again so she went to see her doctor who sent her for an ECG which then showed she had epilepsy.
Crystal was told that she most proberly had epilepy since birth but with her hormones changing with
the pregnancy it triggered it off worse but they couldn't say for sure. Then About 3 years ago she
was staying at mine and i found her having a big fit (foaming from mouth/shaking)This was her first
big fit and after this she had them quite alot from what i have been told. Crystal was on medication
for this but being her she didnt always take them and this could be one of the reasons why she isnt
here now.

I can still remember the day i got told my sister had passed away....
It was the 22nd Janaury and i was at home like most days and i got a call from my eldest daughters
school asking me to contact my sisters partner (Paul) and then i knew something was up as we didnt
talk much so (he rung the school as he didnt have my number or my address) i rung him and this is
when he broke the news to me that my baby sis had passed away and no one knew why. All i remember
was me screaming and shouting NO and Daniel asking what was wrong, i couldnt speak, Daniel had to
take the phone and speak to Paul.
After Daniel spoke to Paul he rung his mum to ask if she could have Jack as i was in such a state. I
called my older sister and she came round and i had to brake the news to her. Both me and my sister
went all over the place to break the news to people we knew some that we hadnt spoke to in years.
The bit the got to me most was that so many people knew of her passing away before me even my uncle
in Mexico knew before me.

I was told.....
Crystal had been found by her daughter (Aimee) and her friend (Terri) stone cold and not breathing.
Terri's neighbour tried to give mouth to mouth as no one else was able to but it was to late. I went
to see Aimme the day Crystal died and it broke my heart. She said Auntie Lyndsey my mummy is now a
angle and she is in the sky, I had to cuddle her and say yes Aimee she is, Mummy is a star and every
night she will be looking over you. Aimee also was telling everyone how her mummy had purple lips
and wasnt talking to her. I just wanted to curl up and die no little girl should have gone through
that.

It was left to me to sort out everything and i felt it was my role to as we both dont speak to our
parents and i was the only old enough blood relative she spoke to at the time she passed away. I
done it all but it still feels that i let her down and things wasnt enough. we have now been told
she passed away from SUDEP which is SUDDEN UNEXPLAINED DEATH IN EPILEPSY.
I miss her so much that i suffered bad depression.

Aimee is now living with her daddy (PAUL) and Jemma is as far a i know living with her Auntie from
her daddys side of the family as chris is in the army and he thought he would not be able to look
after Jemma as a single dad.
RIP KISSY I LOVE YOU AND WILL DO MY BEST IF YOU BABYS NEED ME.

In the new year i will start to have more contact with Aimee and Jemma as now i am feeling a bit
stronger and feel a bit more able to speak about Crystal with out braking down in floods of tears.

A wonderful sister to LYNDSEY, KRISTY and LAURA, auntie to JOSHUA, LORI-ANN,CHELSEA, ANNALEIGHSHA,
EMILY, CODY, JACK and TIM, mummy to AIMEE and JEMMA and sister-in-law to DANIEL and BEN

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

SUDEP
What is SUDEP?

SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) is a term used when a person with epilepsy suddenly dies
and the reason for the death is not known. For example, it is not due to injury or to drowning
following or during a seizure, and it is not due to a prolonged and severe seizure (status
epilepticus).

What causes SUDEP?

The cause is not known. If a post mortem examination is done on a person who dies of SUDEP, no
abnormality is found to account for the death. There are various theories as to why a person with
epilepsy may die suddenly. One theory is that a seizure may affect a part of the brain that controls
heart or breathing function, and so the heart and/or breathing just stop during a seizure.

How common is SUDEP?

The risk of SUDEP is small for most people with epilepsy. It is estimated to cause about 500 deaths
per year in the UK. This sounds a lot, but when you compare it to the number of people who have
epilepsy, it is quite rare. (Epilepsy is common. About 1 in 30 people in the UK develop epilepsy at
some stage. Most people with epilepsy have a normal life span and do not die of SUDEP.) Of those who
die from SUDEP, it is most common in people who have generalised tonic-clonic seizures, especially
in young adults. The most important 'risk factors' seems to be poor seizure control, and seizures
occurring during sleep.

* In people with severe epilepsy (frequent and severe tonic-clonic seizures), it is estimated
that about 1 in 200 die of SUDEP each year.
* In people with mild idiopathic epilepsy (epilepsy of unknown cause), it is estimated that
about 1 in 1000 die of SUDEP each year.
* In people who are in remission the risk of SUDEP seems to be negligible (very low). The term
'in remission' means that you have had seizures in the past, but have none or very few at present.
This is either because of treatment, or because the epilepsy has settled down.

How can the risk of SUDEP can be minimized?

If you have epilepsy, it may be possible to reduce the small risk of dying from SUDEP by:

* Preventing seizures as much as possible. This is usually by medication. In some people,
surgery is used to prevent seizures when medication has not been successful in preventing seizures.
However, in some cases it is not possible to stop seizures fully. (See leaflet called Treatments for
Epilepsy for details.)
* Being aware of the potential risk of night time seizures. Some people only have seizures at
night when asleep (or have them more often at night.) As the risk of SUDEP is still present even for
night time seizures, if possible, you should try to prevent these seizures as much as possible. This
may mean a review of medication. But again, in some people it is not possible to prevent seizures
fully.


Thanks for reading this as most people dont know about this till it happens to someone they know.