Mother near Banbury travels to Parliament to raise awareness of sudden childhood deaths after tragic death of her son

Bloxham mother Samantha Cowley met with Banbury MP Victoria Prentis to launch SUDC Awareness Day in Parliament on Monday (March 18).

Samantha's 13-year-old son Matthew sadly passed away without explanation - and the reception in Parliament aimed to raise awareness of the rare cause of death and support the work of charity SUDC UK in helping the families affected.

Victoria said: “Tragically, Samantha’s 13-year-old son Matthew died suddenly without explanation on November 13. Matthew had gone to bed, as normal for a Sunday evening, but didn’t wake the following morning. Matthew’s parents still have no idea why he died.

“Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. For the death to be unexplained only adds to the trauma. With this serious medical phenomenon affecting a child each week in the UK, it is important that we do everything we can to work towards raising awareness and advancing research.

“I am pleased that SUDC UK were able to host their first event in Parliament to mark the launch of SUDC Awareness Day. It was an extremely poignant afternoon as bereaved parents came together to share their stories. SUDC UK do so much important work to raise the profile of the issue and provide valuable support for families.”

The charity SUDC UK is the only group in the UK that raises awareness and funds research into the rare cause of death.For more information on SUDC UK visit https://sudc.org/