Family in £1m charity tribute to tragic Carla
CARLA Rankin was diagnosed with epilepsy as a baby after her parents noticed she was suffering seizures.
She always knew they could strike at any time, but refused to let the condition hold her back.
She lived life to the full, learning to play the trumpet and piano, gaining a degree in English Literature from the University of Leeds and moving to London where she managed a bar and made a wide circle of friends.
Despite knowing that epilepsy could be fatal, Carla never wanted to ‘live in a bubble’, her family said.
She never stopped making plans and was texting friends about her weekend’s activities just three hours before she was tragically found dead by her parents aged just 27.
Carla had moved back to the family home in Prestbury in August 2014 because her sister Felicity, 30, was due to go travelling.
An inquest heard how
while home alone, Carla decided to have a bath and had a serious seizure while she was in the water.
At her inquest, Nicholas Rheinberg, the coroner for Cheshire, recorded her death as accidental.
“We were in absolute despair,” said mum Denise, 64.
”Just 24 hours earlier, she’d been so happy and excited for the future, applying for jobs and making all these plans.
“One of the worst parts was making the call to poor Felicity.
“You never move on from having to do something like that. You just move forward, with that moment in your heart.”
The Rankin family have vowed to honour Carla’s zest for life by raising £1million for Epilepsy Action, the charity she supported while she was alive.
They have already raised more than £134,000 and on Saturday, June 1, will hold their annual One In a Million charity ball at the Deansgate Hilton in Manchester city centre.
Felicity said of the events: “The balls are a way for everyone to meet, share a moment and have a big party. The first year, we had absolutely no idea what to do, or how to organise something like that.
“Since then, it’s grown and grown, and Epilepsy Action have helped us this year, with our third ball. All we want is for our cause to get as much publicity as possible and we are always looking for sponsors.”
The Rankins also hope their efforts will help raise awareness of the dangers of epilepsy.
Carla took medication every day and rarely had seizures.
Initially, after graduating from uni, she worked in publishing, but eventually moved to Tooting, south west London, with Felicity and managed a bar called The Antelope.
Felicity said: “Carla loved being around people and organising events.
“She also organised some fundraising events at the bar, including lots of live music.
“She gave Dan Caplen, who now has a huge record deal and has done songs with big artists like Macklemore and Rudimental, one of his first gigs in London.
“After she died, they named one of their function rooms where she worked after her - the Rankin room.”
Keen never to let epilepsy hold her back, Carla did not tell many people about it, worried they would treat her differently, or define her by her condition.
But she struggled with its unpredictable nature.
Denise said: “It was the not knowing when they’d happen that she found difficult.
“There was no way of knowing when they’d occur, and we never did manage to figure out an exact trigger.
“Still, while the unpredictability was a big issue, she refused to live in a bubble.
“Her attitude was, ‘I’ll go with the flow, and deal with what I need to deal with.’”
Around 400 people attended Carla’s funeral, which her family decided would be a day to celebrate her life, rather than mourn her death.
She was laid to rest in a purple and leopard print coffin.
“Carla always wore something zany, and her wardrobe was every colour under the rainbow, so we wanted her funeral to reflect that,” said Felicity.
“It’s hard to explain, but everyone said it was the happiest sad day someone could have. We saw people we hadn’t in years, and all shared stories about Carla.”
All day, the Rankin family, who are speaking out during National Epilepsy Week 2019, were asked how people could help honour Carla’s memory - which is where the idea to raise £1 million came from.
They chose the amount because Carla was ‘one in a million’.
Since then, an army of supporters have helped them with activities including runs, skydives and cycling.
And the One In A Million ball will give people who were touched by Carla’s life a chance to remember her and support the charity.
The event has received messages of support from celebrities including Ant and Dec and this year’s party will include live entertainment, a silent auction, casino and raffle.
Denise added: “The fundraising has been a way for us to channel our grief.
“You never get over a loss, it stays with you - but the person who is gone stays with you, too.
“Epilepsy is such an invisible illness. Since Carla died, we’ve been surprised by just how many people either have it themselves, or know somebody that does.
“We really want to raise awareness of epilepsy, and also teach people practical advice about what to do in the here and now, like what to do if you see someone having a seizure.”
For information and tickets for this year’s ball visit oneinamillionball.co.uk