(UK) 1 in 3 children with epilepsy have uncontrollable seizures; "We don't know why children develop epilepsy"

May 20, 2025, Your Harlow: 1 in 3 children with epilepsy have uncontrollable seizures

NE of London

FOR 17-year-old Meadow, uncontrollable seizures meant she could have hundreds in a day.

Diagnosed just before her tenth birthday, Meadow’s mum Louise describes the ‘horrific’ impact of constant seizures and the journey to find anti-seizure medications that would work for her daughter.

As National Epilepsy Week approaches (19-25 May) Young Epilepsy has launched a fundraising appeal to support urgent progress into targeted epilepsy research in order to improve diagnosis and treatment options for children and young people living with the condition.

Right now, in the UK, we don’t know why some children develop epilepsy and why some children lose their lives to it. Yet there’s a significant underfunding of research into epilepsy compared with other conditions. 

Meadow was just 10 years old when she first noticed strange symptoms—sudden bursts of emotion, confusion, and the unsettling feeling that the floor was shifting beneath her feet. Initially, her mum, Louise dismissed these as odd but harmless, until the day Meadow experienced a severe seizure. 

Despite the obstacles, Meadow has shown incredible courage. She has faced setbacks, including the traumatic side effects of her medication impacting her GCSEs, but she remains determined to not let epilepsy define her. “I want to become a dance teacher one day,” she shares. “I want to show other kids with epilepsy that they can still chase their dreams.”