Consett mum honours memory of daughter with severe vomiting condition who died aged 27

Stephanie Parker, from Consett in County Durham, was regularly in hospital due to rare condition known as cyclical vomiting syndrome

A County Durham mum whose daughter had a rare vomiting condition that caused severe bouts of sickness is honouring her memory this Christmas. Stephanie Parker suffered from cyclical vomiting syndrome - a rare condition that causes severe episodes of feeling sick and vomiting.

Stephanie started suffering symptoms around fours years ago and would regularly travel to hospital for treatment. Stephanie became unwell again in May last year and went into hospital but her mum, Emma Farthing, received a phone call for hospital staff saying she would need to attend.

Tragically, Emma attended the hospital and was told Stephanie had passed away. Doctors said the 27-year-old had suffered a seizure and her heart stopped, with medics unable to resuscitate her.

Emma, 44, from Consett, said: "Steph had a condition called cyclical vomiting which meant she would start vomiting and not stop. She had it for a few years and ended up going to hospital on a regular basis.

"I said Stephanie used to go to hospital like people would go to the pub. She would go in have a couple of bad days and then I would get the phone call, she was older and didn't live at home, and she would say she was starving could I bring some food.

"But in the summer of 2022 she had another episode, she was taken into hospital and got a phone call saying can you come down. She ended up in intensive care and had a seizure but she ended up being absolutely fine but they thought it was because she had a water infection."

Stephanie ended up spending hospital in Christmas but eventually came home and was fine, returning to university and getting on with her day-to-day life. Emma said: "Fast forward to May and she was taken into hospital on May 28. Her boyfriend rang me and said she was still vomiting.

"We had to keep an eye on her in case she got dehydrated. Initially, when she started going into hospital I used to go every time but she was 27 and used to go every four, six, eight weeks and there was nothing I could do as she was throwing up. I said to keep me in the loop.

"I missed a phone call at 2am and clocked it at 2.45am - it was the hospital and they said I need to come down. They told me she'd had a seizure, her heart had stopped and they couldn't bring her back. It was incredibly sudden, it was horrific."

Emma said Christmas had always been a massive thing for both of them. She added: "I thought I don't know how I do Christmas without her.

"I thought I need to do in her memory and I can't buy her a present. I thought we have so many families who have lost someone or are struggling.

"She loved her PJs and would have lived in them all day if she could have. Last year we ended up setting up Stephanie's Christmas PJ appeal."

The community rallied together and donated more than 200 pairs of PJs to the appeal. Emma said: "I was blown away, I was thinking if I get 50 pairs brilliant but we ended up with 222 pairs.

"We have now said it will be an annual thing. We have 143 pairs of PJs so far this year. Dropping PJs off at refuges and food banks last year, it is making good of a really horrible situation and doing something Steph would have loved.

"Stephanie was the queen of bows and we literally wrapped every pair of jammies and every card said 'Merry Christmas, love Stephanie's PJ appeal'. To know that there were people out there having a really hard time and had a little more Christmas cheer really helped."

Earlier this year Emma and a group of friends did a charity walk to Durham and next month there will a 'PJ Party' fundraising night in The Turf, with people asked to wear their favourite PJs and donate a pair. Emma added: "The Turf in Consett are brilliant and on November 22 we are having a PJ party and asking people to bring their jammies along.

"It is the perfect night out. She was the queen of cheese, she loved cheesy music and karaoke so we are having a disco and karaoke."

If anyone would like to donate PJs the can be handed into The Turf or donation can be made to a JustGiving page here.

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