An 18-year-old woman with epilepsy has died after suffering a sudden seizure without warning while talking to her boyfriend on the phone. Ellen May Hardwick, from Chelmsford, Essex, experienced a fatal cardiac arrest on 29 December 2025, in what is known as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
Ellie, as she was known to friends, had been diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of five but had consistently been able to recognise warning signs minutes before a seizure. She had not had a seizure for 12 months and was eagerly counting down the days until she could submit her driving licence application.
On the day of her death, her father James, 52, had just left the family home after bidding her farewell. At around 11:35am, Ellie told her boyfriend Aidan Healy, 19, 'I don't feel very well' before collapsing. Her mother Paula, 54, heard a bang and rushed to find her in a seizure. Paramedics performed CPR but could not save her.
James said: 'Two hours later, I got the call that she wasn't breathing. I couldn't believe it, she was just gone – just like that – we had no idea she could die just like that.' Post-mortem results confirmed SUDEP three weeks ago. Ellie was laid to rest on 23 April after a community fundraiser raised over £8,100 for funeral costs.
Her family, including siblings Connor, 20, and Violet, 17, have set up a fundraiser for three charities: Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, Epilepsy Society and SUDEP Action. James plans to establish a charity in Ellie's name and campaign for greater awareness and research into epilepsy. 'I don't want Ellie's name to be lost in the past,' he said.
