THE parents of a boy with epilepsy were looking forward to their first full night's sleep in six months on Saturday, thanks to the donation of a £1,000 alarm.

Dominic Harper, nine, from Thornaby, near Stockton, was diagnosed with benign rolandic epilepsy in September, when he was taken to hospital after his breathing stopped.

The condition, which most commonly affects boys aged between nine and 15, only strikes at night, and can cause victims to shake violently, foam at the mouth, clench their teeth, fall unconscious and sometimes stop breathing.

"The first time it happened was terrifying," said his mother, June, who has angina and heart disease and suffered a heart attack seven years ago.

"It happens about once a month, but last month it happened twice in one night."

Since September, Dominic has had to sleep in the same bed as either his mother or father, Christopher, so they can keep watch over him.

Dominic, who can go to school normally and play with friends, does not understand what is happening during an attack, but wakes with a severe headache.

June, who also has two sons aged 22 and 28, said: "The consultant said he may grow out of it when he reaches 15. Hopefully, we are not clutching at straws."

Thanks to the alarm, she and Christopher can look forward to a decent night's sleep as their son spends his first night in six months in his bedroom. The alarm and transmitter were donated by the Asda supermarket in Thornaby.

"It is a lifesaver," said June. "We would not have been able to buy it for another six months and I could not have coped that long without sleep."