Ellen May Hardwick had not had a seizure in a year and was usually able to tell when they were coming on
Ellen May Hardwick had been counting down the days so she could apply for a driving licence(Image: SWNS)
A healthy 18-year-old with epilepsy had a random seizure while chatting on the phone in her bedroom – causing a fatal cardiac arrest. Ellen May Hardwick, 18, was diagnosed with epilepsy aged five but she had always been able to detect warning signs a few minutes in advance of a seizure to warn people around her and get into a safe position. She also hadn’t had a seizure in a year.
Dad James Hardwick, 52, said Ellen had been counting down the days so she could apply for a driving licence. But on December 29, 2025, Ellen – who went by Ellie with friends – had a seizure without warning, which had never happened before, while on the phone to boyfriend Aidan Healy, 19.
James, who had just left the house after saying goodbye to Ellie, got a call from a neighbour saying to come back. James rushed home to find Ellie’s mum Paula Hardwick, 54, sobbing as paramedics did CPR.
But Ellie passed away quickly from a cardiac arrest and paramedics were unable to revive her, in what is dubbed a ‘sudep’ – a sudden, unexpected death in epilepsy. Ellie left behind doting parents James and Paula, heartbroken Aidan and two siblings – as James has made it his mission to educate others on sudep, and hopes to set up a charity in Ellie’s name in her memory.
James, an online business owner from Chelmsford, Essex, said: “As Ellie got older, she began to grow out of the seizures – there were longer periods between them.
“We know it had been almost a year since her last one, because she wanted to start driving lessons and come off some of her medication. She had been in her room at home, laughing on the phone to Aidan – before I left, I went up to her bedroom, and she said ‘see you later Dad, love you’.
“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. I don’t want to scare people, but I need people to know that this can and does happen.”
James described how Ellie would normally notice ‘warning signs’ 10 minutes before a seizure – such as things ‘looking different’ or her vision started ‘flashing’. This had always given her enough time to get down into a safe position until the seizure passed, so it had never caused issues.
But she had a seizure on December 29, around 11:35am – and forensic science college student Ellie never woke up. James said: “Her mum had heard her go bang on the floor, and I rushed back but Ellie had gone straight into a seizure.
“We spoke to Aidan and he said she told him ‘Aidan I don’t feel very well’ right before it happened, this time there was no warning.”
Her devastated family, including siblings Connor, 20, and Violet, 17, didn’t learn the cause of her death until autopsy reports returned three weeks ago. She was laid to rest on April 23, after a local fundraiser saw more than £8,100 raised for her funeral.
James said: “Ellie loved life – I used to take her fishing, metal detecting and to the arcades. She touched people when they became friends with her, and she had friends all over. And she loved Aidan to pieces.”
The family have launched a fundraiser for three charities – Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, Epilepsy Society and SUDEP Action. James is also planning to launch a charity in Ellie’s memory, alongside campaigning for more awareness and research into epilepsy.
He said: “I don’t want Ellie’s name to be lost in the past, I want it to be carried forward.”
Ellie’s fundraiser can be found here: https://ellenhardwick.muchloved.com
