In 2004 I had my first epileptic seizure. 

It was the first of a number of night-time fits that had to be investigated by specialist consultants who diagnosed that they were unlikely to affect me in any major fashion and that I'd grow out of them. This was mostly true and continued to be so for a number of years.

Then, in April 2010 I suffered a major seizure which had me spend a number of hours in A&E being attended to by a team of doctors who intubated me, carried out brain scans and put me into an induced coma for a short while. I was then transferred by blue light ambulance to St George's in Tooting where, after a night in intensive care, I was hospitalised for a week. Here I was monitored day and night and I had to have a number of tests during a very difficult time for me and my family. 

I left with new daily medication which was designed to stop me fitting, some emergency medicine that can be administered in an emergency and my parents were given training in emergency cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in case things took a turn for the worse again.

I then went through a period of 14 months without a seizure and then in June 2011 I had my first seizure while on medication which resulted in me having to have emergency medication and an ambulance called. I recovered and continued the medication until February the next year where I suffered the first of many, regular seizures.

The year of 2012 saw me have a minimum of 13 occasions (often as close together as every 3 weeks) where I was either taken to A&E, had the emergency medication administered or generally had my day wiped out by seizures. My consultant paediatrician prescribed a change of medication and I did all I could to continue a 'normal life'.

Throughout this turbulent time I was given an enormous amount of support by Young Epilepsy. They gave me huge amounts of information about my condition, I met with people who were conducting research and they asked me to take part in a trial for a mobile phone app that they were developing at the time. I also represented the charity as a 'young person' by accepting cheques from other organisations and even attended a manifesto launch at the Houses of Parliament. If there was anything I needed answers to, or just felt like getting in touch with fellow sufferers or people who understood what I was going through, Young Epilepsy was always there. 

Having already done a small amount of fundraising, I now want to raise a substantial amount of money, not only to show my appreciation of what they have done for me, but also so they can continue to offer their services to the 116,000 people in the UK who suffer from the same condition. 

This 'purple party' is specifically timed to coincide with the start of National Epilepsy Week 2015 and this JustGiving page is set up so that anyone can donate to this cause and support me in my fundraising efforts and also it's for those who are unable to attend the party but still wish to be part of it by donating funds - however large or small.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.