11:29am Tuesday 29th June 2010
By Edmund Tobin
THE tragically young death of a family member has inspired an office worker to undertake a charity run in her name.
Carol Staff, 51, from Loughton, will be taking on the London 10K run on July 11 this year in memory of her niece Becky Scrivens, who died in 2004, aged just 11, from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).
Carol said: “Becky’s death was totally unexpected and we were shocked when we found out how many people die each year from SUDEP.
“It's not very generally known, even GPs aren't aware of it, but if you are diagnosed with epilepsy it's very important you are aware of it. It claims 500 lives a year.
“There's no evidence Becky had a seizure when she died. She just died in her sleep. It's been shown if you can control the seizures with medication the risks go down.”
Carol decided to take part in the London 10K run, which goes from Hyde Park Corner to Horse Guards Parade, to support her brother-in-law, Becky's dad, Roger Scrivens who has been raising money for Epilepsy Bereaved for six years.
She said: “I've never done running before. Roger said he was going to do the run and I thought I'd like to support him. We'll be running together.
“I've been training for a few months at the sports centre in Loughton and I've been running around the local area.
“I've raised about £600 so far. I set myself the target of £650. I don't like asking people for money but they've been very generous.”
Donations to Carol can be made at original.justgiving.com/carolstaff
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