Julie’s story

This month’s Epilepsy Star Award is awarded to Julie Day from Worcester Royal Hospital, for her amazing work as an epilepsy nurse. Julie was nominated by one of her patients Katy, who says Julie has been amazing since the day they met. Katy describes Julie as her ‘hero’ and can’t imagine how she would have coped with her epilepsy without her. Katy tells their inspiring story below:

“I was diagnosed when I was 20 years old. As I’ve gotten older, my medication was no longer working and my epilepsy got worse. I don’t know what my triggers are.

Julie was the second epilepsy nurse I had involved in my care, and she has been amazing ever since. She has directed me and supported me so much, that I don’t really know how I would be coping without her.

“When I talk with her, I know that she has taken the time to get to know me and my epilepsy. Therefore she is always able to put the right support in place.

“She has pointed me in the right direction for everything from tips on how to manage my condition, to financial support that I didn’t even know existed.

“Julie always goes that extra mile for me, and gets things done quickly. She is my hero and I know I am very lucky to have her fight my corner and support me.

“Recently, I have been struggling with my mental health and I couldn’t get a GP to see me. I reached out to Julie and she put support in place straightaway. She started medication changes, telephone consultations, letters to a specialist and organised upcoming neurology team support coming into action.

“Julie goes out of her way to contact me straight away if I’ve needed to contact her. I’m sure there have been many times that she has worked overtime, or on her days off. She truly goes above and beyond. She has such a large amount of patients to take care of, and I’m sure she does the same for everyone as she is such a kind and caring person.

“I’m not sure there are enough words to say how much I truly appreciate everything Julie has done and continues to do for me. She gives me hope to keep fighting each day. Not all hero’s wear capes – this amazing lady is a massive credit to the NHS & Neurologist team.”

Upon accepting her award, Julie Day said “I would be delighted to accept the award. I am so touched, this is so lovely. I do feel Katy should be the one getting the award, as she’s the one who’s had to struggle through her condition!

“I also wanted to say thank you so much for the amazing support given by Epilepsy Action to individuals with epilepsy and their families. We use your website to provide education and information to all our patients”.

“The team of neurologists and nurses at Worcester Royal Hospital aims to provide the best support possible so individuals can have the quality life they deserve. We never stop trying to improve what we do.”

Rebekah Smith, Chief Executive at Epilepsy Action said “We are delighted to give this month’s Epilepsy Star award to Julie. She is an inspiration and shows how a passion for patient care can make such a difference in people’s lives.

“Sadly, we know that epilepsy care across the UK isn’t at an adequate standard. People with epilepsy face long wait times, uncertainty and sometimes don’t have access to the correct specialists that they need. However, people like Julie show that there is amazing care out there for patients, and our mission is to ensure that everyone with epilepsy has access to the best standard of care.

“We are so pleased that Julie and her amazing team use Epilepsy Action’s wonderful resources to help provide the best care possible. We’d encourage anyone who needs any support in relation to their epilepsy to go to our information pages on our website, or contact our helpline on 0808 800 5050.”