The family of a 27-year-old man who died from SUDEP (sudden unexpected death in epilepsy) arrived in Winchester as part of a cycling challenge to commemorate what would have been his 60th birthday.
Alan Pring grew up in Bristol, where he attended the QEH School and represented Bristol and South of England Schools at rugby.
He then studied law at King’s College and the Bar School in London, gaining a position in Pump Court Chambers before moving to Winchester Chambers in 1989, a year before he sadly died.
To honour what would have been his 60th birthday, his sister Kate Fisher, her husband Scott and sons Tom and Ben are cycling from London to Winchester to Bristol this weekend.
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On Saturday, April 29, they arrived at Winchester, near the King Alfred pub after cycling from the capital. On Sunday, April 30, they cycled on to Bristol.
Kate said: "Alan’s epilepsy diagnosis was a huge shock. He had always led a full and active life and was determined to live life to the full. He was given medication to control the condition but never warned about the risks of SUDEP. Alan had two further seizures before suffering a fatal seizure in his sleep on December 4, 1990.”
At the time of Alan’s death, SUDEP was barely recognised, apart from a handful of researchers and Jane, Alan’s mother Sheila and three other mothers who had lost children to SUDEP began a campaign for more research into epilepsy-related deaths.
Other people began to come forward with similar stories and the charity Epilepsy Bereaved, now known as SUDEP Action, was started in 1995, in Winchester. Jane is now the charity’s chief executive.
In 2022, establishing the causes and contributing factors of epilepsy-related deaths, including SUDEP, was identified as the number one priority for all future epilepsy research by the UK Epilepsy Priority Setting Partnership (PSP).
Jane said: “SUDEP Action began from five women sitting around a table, wanting answers, over two decades ago. Our community of families and research champions have taken a subject that was taboo and filled a vacuum with research evidence and innovation of services to help families and the NHS.”
Winchester MP Steve Brine, who along with his family met up with the team on Saturday as they arrived in Winchester, said; “It was lovely to meet Jane and the team cycling from London to Bristol via the Alfie in Hyde.
“We on the Health Committee are really interested in the Sudep issue as part of our Prevention inquiry so it was good to make the connection. We’re also doing a lot of ongoing work around the issue of Valporate use by women in pregnancy off the back of the important Cumberlege review.”
May 8 would have been Alan’s 60th birthday and on the back of the cycle ride, a garden party will be held on that date in Bristol in Alan’s name.
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