We hope our beloved Owen’s sudden death is not in vain
Family push for NHS change after teenage son died in his sleep
The mother of a Strathblane teenager who died in his sleep feels his death could have been prevented and is now pushing for an NHS policy change.
Owen Britton was found dead in his bed on January 28, 2016, at the age of 16 having suffered a nocturnal seizure.
He died from SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy patients) and mum Linda Barclay (48) believes the family should have been made aware of the condition when Owen suffered an episode around a year earlier.
She told the Observer current policy dictates that families and patients who have had fewer than two seizures are not told about SUDEP so as not to alarm them and increase the risk of anxiety.
SUDEP is rarely, if ever, put down as the cause of death, and Owen’s death was formally recorded as “unascertained”.
However, Linda says that had they known about the condition Owen could still be here today – and she is now looking to raise £10,000 to fund further research into the area.
She said: “We want to create more awareness and ensure that people understand the facts.
“Owen knew he was going to have a seizure that night as he had been getting the symptoms. We found out he had been looking them up on his computer for two days.
“We feel there should be a change in the policy there, as his death could have been avoided had we known about it.”
Owen, a Balfron High pupil, was an accomplished athlete and promising academic who had ambitions of going to Cambridge University.
Eighteen months after his death Linda and her husband David, a university professor in Glasgow, began a drive to raise awareness of SUDEP and the failure of the medical profession to acknowledge and communicate it.
They are hoping to raise £10,000 to pay for a PhD student to analyse data compiled by charity SUDEP-ACTION from interviews with relatives who have lost a loved one to the condition.
The aim is to use this data to push the medical profession towards changing their policy on SUDEP.
For the last 16 weeks Linda has been training hard ahead of the gruelling Dubai half-ironman, which she leaves for today with friend Julie Barnett.
She hopes to use participation in this event to raise more cash and push them closer to their £10,000 target – of which they have raised around half so far.
She said: “We spent some time in Spain training around Christmas time and we’re going to be out in Dubai for a week to acclimatise.
“The whole process has been a real journey for me but I’m looking forward to getting out there now – although it’s going to be tough.”
The challenge will see Linda swim 1.9kilometres, cycle 90km and run 21.1 km in the dry heat of the Dubai desert.
An NHS spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with Owen’s family at this extremely difficult time.
“Our staff followed national guidelines when treating this patient. This was explained to the family at a meeting with some of our clinical and managerial staff.
“However, we have listened to the family’s concerns and are fully considering the issues they have raised.
“The outcome of this will be shared with the family directly.”
To sponsor Linda go to the Owen Britton Tribute Fund and make a donation at owen-britton.muchloved. com.
His death could have been avoided if we had known about it [SUDEP]