Parents 'heartbroken' after daughter, 22, dies during a nap: 'It just didn't seem real'

Maddie Gill was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child but hadn't had a seizure in ten years. Photo / Supplied

A young woman whose life was "just starting to come together" has tragically died suddenly in her sleep.

Maddie Gill was in the final year of her public relations and advertising degree at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) when she lost her life to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

The 22-year-old was diagnosed with epilepsy as a child but hadn't experienced a seizure in more than 10 years.

But she died on December 5 after returning home from her part-time job as a dental assistant and taking a nap which she never woke up from.

Her heartbroken mum Debra Tibbotts paid tribute to her daughter, describing her as a "happy-go-lucky" person.

"She'd go up to anyone at a family barbecue or function and just start talking to them and want to sing them a song or hum them a tune," her stepdad Chris Tibbotts told 7News.

"No one could ever forget Maddie; she was pretty hard to forget."

Maddie was tragically discovered by her flatmate, who called emergency services.

"It just didn't seem real. It was the worst night of our lives," Debra said, revealing she had spoken to her daughter earlier that day.

"She rang me on the way home and said, 'I'm heading home mum, I had a really busy morning, I'm really tired,' and I just told her to go home, have some lunch and have a nap," she said.

The PR and advertising student passed away in her sleep on December 5. Photo / Supplied

Several hours later, she was gone. A post-mortem examination later ruled she died from SUDEP, a term used when a person with epilepsy dies suddenly and prematurely and no reason for death is found.

"It [her epilepsy] was pretty much under control for the last five to six years, up until now," Debra told 7News.

The pair are now raising awareness and funds to assist and support families of SUDEP and hope sharing Maddie's story will prevent other families from experiencing the same loss.

In Australia, around 250,000 people are currently diagnosed with epilepsy according to Epilepsy Action Australia (EAA).

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that causes a disruption of the electrical activity in the brain. EAA states the common condition is widely misunderstood, with the majority of people believing all seizures are convulsive. However epilepsy can take many forms and affect people very differently.