Belfast councillor speaks for first time on suffering shock seizure in front of wife

The Alliance Party councillor says he has "no memory" of the epileptic episode he suffered at home, but East Belfast Westminster candidate Naomi had to witness him "foaming at the mouth, shaking uncontrollably" and then bleeding heavily after he bit his own tongue.

At one stage, he says he was so disorientated he was trying to get out to the garden and even tried to climb into a cupboard – all of which he says was "extremely distressing" for Naomi.

He also reveals that members of the DUP who made shocking comments about his wife's weight in WhatsApp messages, which emerged at the Covid-19 Inquiry, have yet to say sorry.

Michael revealed he had just been diagnosed with epilepsy and had been told to take it easy for the next three months when the election was called.

"After the seizure in March, I was told (by the consultant) because it was a second seizure 'you're basically diagnosed with epilepsy and you'll have to start taking medication for that'.

"So I have started that for the last three months and it's been fine, and I went back to see him in May and he said if I stay on the tablets I shouldn't get a recurrence but I have to be careful.

"It completely wiped me out afterwards, which was difficult, and he said, 'Try and avoid stress and take a rest for the next few months.'

"And then, of course, Rishi Sunak decided to call an election, so avoiding stress hasn't really worked very well from my point of view.

"I've been out canvassing as much as possible because I know Naomi can make a difference for East Belfast at Westminster with regards to reforming the Assembly and the financial settlement for Northern Ireland."

But he reveals just how scary his seizure was for his wife.

Michael, who had his first seizure four years ago in a café in south Belfast, said he had been feeling unwell at the start of this year but soldiered on and attended the Alliance Party conference in the first week of March. But he skipped supporting Naomi as she appeared on the BBC's Sunday Politics the next day.

"She came back and we had some lunch, and we were watching TV afterwards and then this seizure started," he told the Sunday World.

"The last time I had one I was outside and Naomi wasn't there, so obviously she hadn't seen this before. I don't remember anything about it at all, but she had to deal with the trauma of the seizure – which went on for eight minutes.

"I was sitting on the settee and Naomi said I kind of drifted away, she was talking to me but there was no response – and then I went rigid and then shaking and moving about, and then I unfortunately managed to bite my tongue so there was blood everywhere and there was foam coming out of my nose, so it was really quite traumatic and obviously I wasn't able to respond to her.

"I literally remember sitting after my lunch and the next thing I remember is waking up with the paramedics there and I had no knowledge of what had happened.

"It's the people who are with you who it's more traumatic for – because I've no memory of it – while Naomi was there for the whole thing and had to deal with it, and she did move me into the recovery position.

"But then there was a point where I was walking about, and I was wanting to get out to the garden – and I was trying to get into a cupboard at one point as I was totally disorientated and didn't know what I was doing.

"It was extremely distressing for Naomi. She phoned the ambulance and called a friend of ours who is a doctor, and he came over and then the ambulance arrived.

"My other plan, that was scuppered by Rishi Sunak, is to bring an awareness course on epilepsy and how to treat it to Belfast City Council so that members would know what to do, but also staff would know what to do.

"The most difficult thing for me now is not being allowed to drive for a year – and I understand that, because if I took a seizure while I was driving it could be a complete disaster.

"Now when I'm out canvassing I'm relying on lifts, so I've been in about 20 different people's cars over the last few weeks, but it hasn't stopped me from getting out to canvas for Naomi."

He also hit out at DUP Assembly members over the insulting comments about Naomi which were revealed during the Covid Inquiry.

Last week, Naomi took issue with the comments, saying: "This is a party which has a problem with women, particularly those who have opinions, and that's something their new leader needs to address."

The inquiry heard that on May 7, 2020, Edwin Poots said of an Executive meeting: "I had to comfort eat during the meeting I was so traumatised," to which Peter Weir replied: "Do you think Naomi has been doing the same?"

On September 17, someone else commented: "Not really a hunger strike if taking tea and coffee..."

Peter Weir replied: "In breaking news, Naomi has died on the 114th day of hunger strike."

Michael said Peter Weir's comments, and subsequent lack of apology, were "particularly disappointing".

"Nobody has come back to Naomi and said that wasn't a good thing to say or we shouldn't have said that, and that's disappointing," said the Belfast councillor.

"The frustrating thing for her is that when Peter Weir wasn't well – when he was in hospital having a toe amputated – she sent him a message to get well soon and wishing him all the best and all the rest of it, so it's pretty disappointing to not have any kind of response.

"We've seen in this campaign and on the sewer that is Twitter there are so many attacks on women in particular, and we need people to come out strongly and condemn it and say it isn't acceptable and not indulge in it."

Also standing to be the MP for Belfast East on Thursday are John Ross (TUV), Ryan Warren (UUP), Brian Smyth Green Party NI, Ryan North (Independent) and Séamas de Faoite (SDLP).