Skip to content

Tom's story

Tom and Lucy’s daughter Sophie was diagnosed with epilepsy at just two years old. The family adjusted to the diagnosis but were faced with huge challenges. We helped them buy equipment to improve the quality of their lives together.
Tom

Family life

During the day and through the night, Tom and Lucy took turns to check that Sophie was OK. Because she was so young, Sophie couldn’t tell when she was about to have a seizure. Both parents had full-time jobs and quickly became severely sleep deprived, stressed and worried for the future.

They knew about seizure-detection equipment they could use at home but they just couldn’t cover the costs of it.

We explored different ways of funding the equipment but kept coming to a dead end. I’ve been in the Civil Service for years. I knew about the Charity for Civil Servants and decided to reach out for help.

We gave Tom the space to breathe as he told us his story. We listened.

We were able to give practical support too. We were able to pay towards the specialist equipment the family needed. We hoped that it would improve the quality of life for his entire family.

The impact of the charity’s help has not only been potentially lifesaving for my daughter, it’s provided peace of mind for the whole family

Tom and Lucy needed someone to listen and look at the whole picture. We were able to provide tailored support to keep their family strong. That’s what we do.

Things are getting a lot better for us. Sophie’s medication is keeping the seizures at bay. We’re not constantly sleep deprived anymore thanks to your help. To anyone reading this, please donate if you can. These donations really help families who are struggling. The Charity for Civil Servants do some good in this world and we must hold onto that, particularly now when times are so tough.

Some elements of this story have been anonymised or changed to protect the person’s identity.

Get involved

If you are a civil servant, facing a tough time – find out how we can help you.

If you’d like to know more about volunteering and joining our Champion Network, find out how to get involved.

Support people like Tom by making a single or regular donation, leaving a gift in your Will or by fundraising for us. With you alongside us, we can do even more to support civil servants.