From the age of three, our profoundly learning-disabled daughter Katie had epilepsy. Her seizures were, at first, infrequent though serious, usually requiring hospitalisation and, on occasions, a brief period in Intensive Care. In her teens, drop seizures became more frequent but we learned to stand behind her and have her use us for a softer landing. Then came the forward falls and they are the hell that is drop epilepsy.
Falls were viciously unpredictable and Katie would fall from any angle, at any time; from standing or sitting; into clear space, sharp edges, heavy furniture. The sound of her head hitting the floor was excruciating. Increasingly severe injuries became commonplace.
Searching for adequate protective equipment, the choice became clear – the wearing of a helmet, all day long or life confined to a wheelchair. We chose the helmet. But there were problems. Often the fall impact would be so great, the helmet would ride forward over Katie’s eyes and unto her nose, sometimes causing bloodshot eyes, blackened sockets and a bruised bridge. Other times it rode backwards, causing scalp abrasions and on one occasion, a very deep L-shaped cut which needed staples. We tried a handling belt but it was only partially successful… and it risked inflicting internal soft tissue damage if the fall was awkward.

This belt did, however, become the turning point, providing inspiration and a Eureka moment. It didn’t work well because it focussed only on the lower body… but if we extended it to embrace the upper body, then it just might allow us to stop the falls and the injuries!
We took Katie’s original Harness out of the car and had it adapted with handles front and rear. We walked her in it at every opportunity until, finally, one day, she fell forward in a drop seizure. She did not hit the ground! The harness stopped her, held her! We had proven the concept and found a way to keep her mobile… and wheelchair-free!
Concept proven or not, this crude harness lacked a lot. But we knew it was worth further development. I was introduced to Rik at White Knight. He took our crude but proven idea and turned it, in a flash, into the masterpiece that we now know as the Guardian Harness.
We found this harness to be lightweight, unobtrusive, easy to put on and comfortable for Katie. For a Carer, its use is second nature. Once we'd avoided a fall, confidence in its use just grew. Being able to safely dispense with the helmet also improved her quality of life dramatically. From Katie’s respite unit the message was clear – “We wouldn’t be without it!” The ultimate praise, however, came from “Big Frank”, our neighbour. He observed how, in pre-harness days, Katie walked head down, slowly, fearful and not at all enthusiastically. With her new Guardian harness, he observed how she now held her head high, her shoulders back and striding along with supreme confidence – the leader of the pack!
Over eighteen months of daily use of the harness, Katie continued to have drop seizures… but she sustained no injuries, because it protected her. It gave her life back to her. It is our fervent hope that the Guardian harness will restore a better quality of life to many others.

Katie died from epilepsy on 31 January 2021 - Aged 25 going-on 4.
“May her gentle little soul rest in eternal peace.”