Girl, 11, 'took charge' after brother had seizure

An 11-year-old girl has been praised after she took charge when her older brother had an epileptic seizure.

Marianne, from Ipswich, heard her mum crying after her 14-year-old sibling, Levi, became unwell.

Mother Eleanor Byng, 44, said she was exhausted and needed help before Marianne leapt into action and helped support her brother who has autism.

Marianne has now been shortlisted for Sense's Young Sibling of the Year with the winner being announced in November.

At the time of the incident, Mrs Byng had been at home while her husband Phil Turland, 44, was at work.

"I was just so tired, I needed help," she explained.

“Marianne heard me crying and said, ‘What can I do, mum?’.

"She got the water I asked for, she got the towels, she helped wipe Levi’s face, she sat beside him to prop him up and she spoke to him, while I sat there in tears."

Mrs Byng said Marianne was "not fazed at all" and she told her mother "We can deal with this, mum".

"In that moment, she became the adult, she took charge," Mrs Byng added.

"She was willing, without any question, to do anything to help her brother and to help me."

'I love my brother'

Marianne was described as a fierce advocate for her brother who has limited speech.

She ensures her brother's needs take priority and she helps to care for him at home.

"I love my brother," Marianne said. "I am only doing what anyone else would do.

"I feel that supporting him - and other people who are seen by some as being 'different' - is really important.

"I’d like everyone to show more compassion because we all need help sometimes. A little bit of kindness goes a long way."

Mrs Byng said she wanted her daughter to be recognised "because she is like a lighthouse in a storm to me".

"She’s loving, she’s caring and she is everything you would wish a sibling to be," she added.

Chief executive of Sense, Richard Kramer, said it was an "honour" to recognise Marianne and congratulated her for being shortlisted.