Leo’s Angels, the memorial fund dedicated to harnessing technology to transform epilepsy care and save lives, has partnered with Young Epilepsy to help improve patient outcomes.
Founded in memory of Leo Alan O’Brien who tragically died in 2024 from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), Leo’s Angels is dedicated to driving technological innovation in epilepsy care. The initiative was founded by Leo’s mum Emma, CEO of Embridge Consulting, the digital transformation specialist empowering people, processes and technology.
Having navigated fragmented healthcare systems when caring for Leo, Emma is now dedicated to funding and developing tools that enhance data-driven decision-making for clinicians, empower families with real-time information and updates, and integrate seamlessly within healthcare systems to reduce delays in treatment.
Young Epilepsy works with young people with epilepsy to ensure their voices are heard and their rights protected, and delivers health services and research that improve diagnosis and treatments. Emma and the Embridge team have successfully raised more than £50,000 over the last five years for the charity through fundraising activities, and will now be continuing to drive this work through an official partnership,
With her expertise in digital transformation, Emma boasts a strong track record in enabling organisations to overhaul business operations by empowering people, processes and technology, and is calling out for support from organisations globally to sponsor the initiative and accelerate the critical developments that are needed.
Emma said: “Young Epilepsy is a wonderful charity that does vital work in improving the lives of young people with this condition, and this partnership is a fantastic step forward in driving our joint mission to improve epilepsy care.
“I have been working in the technology industry for over 25 years and noticed the manual nature of our healthcare system when accompanying Leo on his many hospital visits. This lack of efficiency causes breakdowns in communication, slower and ill-informed decision-making, and delays in accessing the most effective treatment. Those with epilepsy deserve better and we want to make a difference.
“While we can’t change what happened to Leo, we can improve future outcomes for others with epilepsy, and I know that technology can have a transformative role. We hope our partnership with Young Epilepsy will help us to reach even more young people in need of support.”
Matt Robertson, head of philanthropy and partnerships at Young Epilepsy, said: “We fully support Leo’s Angels in its mission to drive forward the development of much needed tech-based solutions for epilepsy care. We understand the need for a data-driven approach allowing clinicians, families and healthcare systems access to accurate patient data to improve care outcomes.
“As a national charity, we aim to provide information and support to more than 100,000 children and young people living with epilepsy in the UK. We are grateful for the fantastic fundraising support Leo’s family have provided over the years to support our work. Leo himself was a much-loved student at our specialist school, St Piers, and we are proud to see his memory honoured in such a lasting way, working to improve the lives of other young people living with epilepsy.”
For more information, please visit:
https://www.youngepilepsy.org.uk/support-for-you/about-epilepsy