Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

As friends of  Klara, Si and Ettie I wanted to do something to help this family in their time of need. I have challenged myself to complete The Cyprus Walkdown which is a 40km (24.8 mile) walk Starting in the Troodos Mountains and finishing at Happy Valley. 

We hope you will take the time to read Etties story and please donate what ever you can to this wonderful family in their time of need. 

Although her family were originally told Ettie's fits were febrile, with no underlying health issues, they soon escalated into uncontrollable multiple fits a day.

With her family panicking, her dad Simon, 37, was called home from active military service in Iraq to be by his daughter's side as she was rushed into hospital for 24-7 care.

But despite the heroic efforts at doctors at Cambridge's Addenbrooke's Hospital, the Hollesley Primary School pupil has suffered permanent damage to the part of the brain which controls emotions, memory, language and judgement.

Rocked by what has happened, the community has now rallied round to help - with the Over the Rainbow Children's Charity pledging to raise £10,000 for equipment the Curtis family need when Ettie is able to return home.

Yet in spite of everything, 40-year-old Klara says she is "bursting with pride" at how her "cheeky little chappie" has coped with everything thrown at her at such a young age.

'It was devastating'

Before the seizures began in March this year, Klara said Ettie "was a completely normal child", adding: "She's always been very articulate and always been a cheeky little chappie."

But one Sunday afternoon at their home in Sutton Heath, near Woodbridge, everything changed. 

"I went to sit on the sofa and sat next to her," Klara said.

"I saw what I thought was her whole body shudder."

Within moments Ettie, who had only just turned five, was having a "full blown seizure".

She was still gripped by the seizure when paramedics arrived five minutes later.

"It was devastating," Klara said.

"I just remember feeling sheer panic and thinking: 'Oh my god, what's wrong with my daughter?'

"As a parent, you go through every question possible in your head.

"Right there and then, it was just devastation and felt like our world came crashing down."

'It became very scary'

At first, it was thought the seizure was simply down to high blood pressure and would not cause a long-term problem.

But after several more seizures, Ettie was eventually taken to Ipswich Hospital where she suffered eight severe fits in a day.

That rose to 16 a day before epilepsy medication seemed to bring the fits under control.

The Curtis family hoped for the best after Ettie remained clear of seizures for eight days - but Klara said: "Unfortunately she then had a nosedive and fell back into these clusters of seizures."

Taken by blue light ambulance to Addenbrooke's on July 24, where the family have remained ever since, she suffered 23 seizures in one day - and then as many as 13 in an hour.

Having been allowed to return home from Iraq on compassionate leave, Simon - a sergeant in the Royal Engineers bomb disposal team based at Wimbish - has been by his daughter's side in ever since.

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