'I remember waking up in my seat on the plane and seeing the panic in my mother's face'

Two school friends reunited years later and helped each other through a 'scary' condition.

Marissa Jackson, a teaching assistant who lives in Manchester, was diagnosed with epilepsy at 15. The now 32-year-old had her first seizure on a plane.

She does not recall the seizure itself as she was 'knocked out', but remembers waking up in her seat with blood and saliva on her chin, having bitten her tongue, and seeing the 'panic' in her mother's face. Amy Graham witnessed her friend having a seizure in the school playground - a day she will 'always remember'.

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But the now 31-year-old, a care assistant who lives in County Durham, never thought she would be diagnosed with epilepsy herself at 25. After not seeing each other for years, the pair reunited over the condition to support each other.

Amy said Marissa helped her no longer feel 'helpless'. She said her first epileptic seizure came with 'no warning' and after being diagnosed she struggled with severe depression and felt her 'life was over'.

She said: "It knocked my confidence massively because I didn't want to go out alone anymore in case I would have a seizure... I stayed locked away for a very long time after I was diagnosed because I felt terrified."

When Marissa moved out of her home town, the pair did not see each other for a few years but kept in touch on social media. This is how Marissa found out Amy had been diagnosed with epilepsy, via a Facebook post.

Marissa sent a message to Amy and arranged to visit her in County Durham to offer advice and support. Amy said having a friend who understood 'exactly how (she) felt' was a huge relief because others