'Funny and caring' teen from Plymouth who was 'full of life' dies of rare epileptic seizure 

• Watch Claire Manning's report here

The mum of an 18-year-old from Plymouth who died due to a rare epileptic speaker is speaking out about her death to raise awareness.

Abigail Eldridge, from Saltash, was found unresponsive in her bed on 12 May and later died at Derriford Hospital.

Abigail was first diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 15. Before that, there was no indication she had the condition. 

Once diagnosed, Michelle said Abigail would sometimes have up to four seizes a day. 

She said: “She was full of life, happy, caring, very funny, always made people laugh. She was very loyal to those around her and would do anything for them.”

The cause of her death was sudden unexplained death of epilepsy (SUDEP), something that one in 1,000 adults die from per year in the UK.

Epilepsy Research UK Chief Executive Maxine Smeaton said two thirds of people with epilepsy live a seizure-free life but for that remaining third, it is uncontrolled. 

She said: “They’re left living a life not knowing when their next seizures come and of course the more seizures, the more uncontrolled nature of epilepsy the more dangerous it is.”

Now Michelle is raising awareness of epilepsy, and has set up a GoFundMe page so more research can be done. 

She said: “That’s what giving me strength. I don’t want her death to be in vain.”