Tragic Death of Pregnant Woman with Epilepsy Investigated at Inquest
A pregnant woman and her unborn baby were discovered deceased by her mother after the expectant mother suffered an epileptic fit and became trapped between her bed and the wall, a coroner's inquest has been told. Megan Gardiner, aged 25, was seventeen weeks pregnant with her son when her mother, Alison Woolcock, found her body at their family residence in Barry, South Wales, in June 2022.
Emergency Response and Medical Background
Paramedics rushed to the scene promptly, but Ms Gardiner was pronounced dead at the home. The medical cause of death was later determined to be Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, commonly referred to as SUDEP. Ms Gardiner had been living with epilepsy since she was thirteen years old and had expressed a strong desire to have a baby, fully aware of the heightened risks her condition posed during pregnancy.
Shortly before her tragic passing, Ms Gardiner had altered her medication regimen, and medical professionals were actively exploring new pharmaceutical options for her management. The inquest is now scrutinising the specific advice and care provided to Ms Gardiner throughout her pregnancy by healthcare providers, alongside a detailed review of the medications she was prescribed.
Family Tributes and Personal Details
Alison Woolcock fondly remembered her daughter as "beautiful" and possessing a "wonderfully sarcastic sense of humour." She elaborated, "Megan was ambitious. An ultimate goal was to own her own business one day doing make-up. She became very skilled from watching plenty of makeup videos as well as RuPaul's Drag Race. She had a wonderfully sarcastic sense of humour. If she made a joke or liked a joke she would laugh about it forever. You could become the brunt of her jokes very easily."
Ms Woolcock highlighted their close bond, stating, "She got on really well with me and we shared lots of the same interests - interests that she got me into. She really supported me as well, with charity days, and would just be there whenever I needed her." Tragically, this incident marks the second daughter the Woolcock family has lost; their middle child, Ellie, passed away in 2001 from sudden infant death syndrome just before her second birthday.
"We've already been through this once and we're going through it again," Alison remarked previously. "It's just devastating." Ms Gardiner is survived by her boyfriend and the would-be father of her unborn son, Jowad Ahmad, her father Robert, and her sister Tesni.
Circumstances of the Fatal Incident
According to Ms Woolcock, her daughter had not experienced a seizure since April and appeared to be in good spirits the evening prior to the tragedy. On the morning of the incident, Ms Woolcock recounted, "I called her at 9.30am and there was no response. Her bedroom was a mess and I didn't see her there. I kept trying to ring her and couldn't get an answer. It was unusual because she was 25 but I'd always know where she was. I thought maybe she had gone into town so I drove through Barry, went into shops, rang her sister."
She continued, "I thought I'd check her bedroom one more time and saw what I'd thought was a pile of clothes on the bed. Where she'd had a seizure, she had fallen down between the bed and the wall. I rang the ambulance service and there was a woman on the phone telling me what do, but I knew there was no point."
Medication Concerns and Risk Awareness
The inquest heard that Ms Gardiner had opted not to take sodium valproate, despite medical recommendations, due to concerns about potential dangers to her unborn baby. Healthcare professionals were in the process of considering alternative medications to control her seizures. Testimony indicated that while sodium valproate can pose risks to foetal development, Ms Gardiner may not have fully comprehended that its use could have been a temporary measure to prevent seizures.
Ms Woolcock emphasised, "Meg really wanted to be a parent. She was happy about being pregnant. Any parent told that taking something could harm their baby would listen to that advice. She wanted to do the best she could for her baby." Additionally, she noted that the specific risks associated with SUDEP were never directly addressed with her or Ms Gardiner; instead, they were discussed in a generalised manner.
Doctors had reportedly discussed the possibility of terminating the pregnancy, but Ms Gardiner never seriously considered this option. Furthermore, Ms Woolcock revealed that her daughter was at risk of "sleep seizures," but the family was not made aware of this particular danger. Had she known, Ms Woolcock stated she would have slept in the same bed as her daughter to provide constant supervision and care.
Aftermath and Continuing Proceedings
In a poignant tribute, Ms Woolcock shared, "We chose for Megan to be buried holding her little boy, resting on her chest. She is buried in Barry Cemetery with Ellie, so the two of them are back together." The inquest, presided over by coroner Kerrie Burge, remains ongoing as investigators seek to uncover all pertinent details surrounding this heartbreaking case.
