A COUPLE who were too scared to put their young daughter to bed alone say their lives have been changed – thanks to the help of a charity.

For 11 months, Sarah Monaghan and Andrew Bacon have made room in their bed every night for two-year-old epileptic Erin so they would be alerted if she had a seizure during the night.

But now Leigh Lions have donated a special sensory matt, which sets of an alarm if Erin has an epileptic fit – meaning she has been able to sleep in her own bed for the first time.

Mum Sarah, aged 31, of Everest Road, Atherton, said: “I know it sounds like a cliche but they have changed our lives.

“Erin would sleep on the sofa with us until it was time for us to go to bed and then we would take her up with us. She is quite tall for her age and a wriggler so none of us ever got much sleep.

“We didn’t want to leave her upstairs on her own because we were so scared she would have seizure and we wouldn’t pick it up.”

Leigh Journal:

Not only has the mat allowed Erin and her mum and dad get a good night sleep but it has given her four sisters, 14-year-old Ashleigh Bacon, Page Monaghan, aged 13, 12-year-old Dawn Monaghan and Faye Monaghan, aged eight, their evenings back.

“We used to spend our evenings together playing games and messing about but because Erin would be downstairs with us, the girls all had to be really quiet or go upstairs,” said Sarah.

“The Lions club haven’t just helped Erin, they have also helped my other four girls – they have got their mum and dad back.”

Erin was diagnosed in March last year and is still undergoing tests to establish the form of epilepsy she has.

The Lions collected the £400 needed for the mattress through their Santa Sleigh set up at supermarket Morrisons in Leigh before Christmas.