I'm raising money for Epilepsy Action in memory of my friend Charlie Marriage, who tragically died this month from a seizure.

Before I knew Charlie, I knew nothing about epilepsy. Like everyone, I'd heard of it and I'd heard of seizures, but I had no idea about the realities of what living with epilepsy meant, the constant medication with brutal side effects, how terrifying and severe a seizure is to see, let alone suffer. 

Despite these realities, Charlie refused to let his epilepsy dictate his life and I was always amazed by this courage.

He was kind, funny, smart, charming, the list goes on. I always felt at ease when I was around him, and I know that anyone else lucky enough to have known him would say the same thing.

I can't believe he is gone and I'm going to miss him very much. 

Last time we spoke, we were talking about running. He had been getting quite into it, but was told by his doctor that he should stop due to his epilepsy. That's why I'm running a half marathon to raise money for a charity that he supported and promoted.

Finally, the following words are taken from a post Charlie made on his Instagram account earlier this year. Heartbreakingly prophetic, powerfully written, but above all an important message that I hope anyone reading this takes on board.

"If someone said to you “tomorrow you will have a seizure out of nowhere. It could happen at any moment and be potentially life threatening. You could suffer a traumatic brain injury or could go into status epilepticus and potentially die.”

How would you spend tomorrow?

Would you feel safe alone? Or getting the tube? Crossing a road? Using a knife or boiling water in the kitchen? If you know stress would set it off, how would the swell of stress make you feel?

I often see people advocating for different causes on here and thought I’d share my perspective as someone with an invisible disability.

Whether autistic, epileptic, depressed, CFS, bipolar, adhd, diabetes, the list is endless.

Don’t make assumptions and always err on the side of empathy and respect - it is impossible to know what someone is going through."