'He couldn’t hold a bottle and he wouldn’t eat': Family support helps Daniel cope with epilepsy

The 12-year-old was diagnosed after he suffered a convulsive seizure in primary school 

Daniel Cleary, 12 with his parents Orla and Stephen, sister Charlotte 13, and brother Samuel 7. Pictures: Moya Nolan

When 12-year-old Daniel Cleary has an epileptic seizure, everybody in his family stops what they’re doing – mum Orla, dad Stephen and Daniel’s siblings, Charlotte, 13, and Samuel, seven.

“Everybody in the house knows we all come to him. No matter what’s on, everything’s paused. Stephen and I time the seizure, we get Daniel in the recovery position and we all lie on the floor with him, so when he comes around we’re chatting and relaxed,” says Orla.