An islander has praised those who came to her rescue when she suffered a serious epileptic seizure during a surf session.
Long-distance swimmer Ocean Brown had completed gruelling challenges like a round-island swim before she developed epilepsy at 17 years old.
The 20-year-old was taking part in a Healing Waves session last week when she noticed the early signs of a focal seizure while in the water, including mouth twitching,
Ocean alerted her instructor Charlee that it was time to leave the sea, but her seizure began to worsen as they made their way up the slipway.
Staff recognised the situation was escalating and helped Ocean onto nearby benches, where her carer Alisa administered emergency medication in an attempt to stop the seizure.
Realising it was likely developing into a tonic-clonic seizure, teams from Jersey Surf School and the RNLI acted immediately to make Ocean as safe and comfortable as possible.
Healing Waves staff remained by Ocean’s side at all times, alerting lifeguards and providing oxygen after she briefly stopped breathing.
Ocean described her “immense gratitude” towards everyone involved, including “amazing” paramedics Ashley and Emily.
She also praised the hospital staff, adding that the care she received made her feel “as safe as possible” during an “incredibly frightening experience”.
