THE mother of a disabled child who has more than 40 fits a month is hosting two events in Chester to raise vital funds for charity.
Dawn Paterson, 45, hopes kind-hearted residents can help her raise more than £5,500 to help fund research into Dravet Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy.
Dawn, of Oscroft, Chester, has been campaigning to raise awareness of the condition since the birth of her son, Harley Rigler, who is now five.
Harley was diagnosed with the condition in February 2007 after having his first seizure aged five months.
Dawn said her son can have as many as 15 seizures a week, and tends to have about 40 to 50 every month. He also suffers from mobility, speech and immunity problems.
She said: “It’s just frightening. I just couldn’t believe that this was happening to my little chap. It’s almost like a constant mourning process, you never get used to it, you just have to put a smile on and think positive thoughts.
“Sometimes I should maybe slow down, but the minute I do it all becomes too much for me because I start to think about how this is happening to my little boy.
“It’s terrifying because every few months you hear about another child passing away in their sleep, and their mums always say that it’s never when they’re ill, it’s just always out of the blue.
“There’s always a worry every night in the back of my mind.”
Harley attends Kelsall Primary School where he has a carer, but Dawn is still called in frequently because of his condition.
“I also haven’t been able to get a job at all,” she said.
“It has been a struggle to cope, because it feels like it’s just hanging over me, but it brings out inner strength in people, especially in us as a family.”
The first event is a Chester Challenge run from 9.30am on Sunday, August 29, at the Old Hall Country Club and Spa, where Dawn hopes to raise £4,000.
The second event is an Elvis-themed night at Oddfellows, on Lower Bridge Street, with a ‘top drawer’ Elvis performing at 7.30pm on September 12. Tickets for this event are £15.
For more information go to www.chesterchallenge.co.uk or call 07967 405330.