Touching Lives - September 2002

When mother-of-three Janet Watkins suffered her first epileptic seizure in her sleep at the age of 32, it was a terrifying experience for both her and her husband Pete.

Fit and healthy, and a part-time staff nurse, Janet had never suffered anything like it before.

“It was frightening because it was literally like a bolt out of the blue and Pete didn’t know what to do”, says Janet, from Exeter in Devon. “It began by a sudden rigidity, followed by an uncontrollable shaking of the body.”

The Charity has extended its funding to Chailey Heritage Clinical Services in Lewes, East Sussex, with a grant of almost £150,000. This means that the total support from Action Medical Research to the acclaimed facility has now exceeded half a million pounds.

When it comes to medical breakthroughs there are endless conditions which deserve such a ‘break’.

Technology is developing at a rapid speed, and genetic research is opening up exciting pathways. But so many illnesses are still misunderstood and, quite simply, remain a hard nut to crack.

Diabetes is such a condition. There is still no clear-cut reason as to why the disease occurs, and yet the number of sufferers, especially children, is on the increase.

We’d like to say a big thank you to Bethany Lee from Whitley Bay who raised £211 for Touching Tiny Lives by taking part in the Mini Great North Run last October. Eight-year-old Bethany completed the mile-long route alongside 500 three to eight year olds and if the smile in this picture is anything to go by, thoroughly enjoyed herself. Bethany raised the fantastic amount by asking neighbours, friends and family to sponsor her. She says: “I raised this money myself for Touching Tiny Lives.