It is hard to comprehend, that today, 25 July 2019, marks the fifth anniversary of Sally’s death. Not only did we lose our much-loved only daughter, but the world, as we knew it and the people who we were, also disintegrated rapidly. On the one hand the events of that period seem like yesterday and the shock, disbelief and unrelenting pain are an ever present part of our lives. On the other hand it seems like a lifetime since we heard Sally’s voice, her laughter, saw her smile and held her close. Love and grief are proportionate in their intensity and the all- encompassing nature of the loss we feel is a measure of the the inestimable love we have for Sally. Grief and love walk side by side and Sally will be ever present in our hearts and minds.
The grief of losing a child is like no other, challenging, as it does, the natural order in that no parent ever expects their child to die before them. The pain is harder to bear when, as in Sally’s case, the death was totally preventable as a result of the actions of those who were supposedly there to help her and keep her safe. Additionally, our pain and distress has been exacerbated by the unconscionable behaviour of a number of public bodies, most notably Humber NHSFT. Their “deny, delay, defend, deceive” approach when “never” events occur, both in their personal interactions with us and throughout the legal process, have caused us untold and unnecessary additional distress. This has been further exacerbated by the lack of any semblance of empathy or remorse by those directly responsible for Sally’s death. Add to this toxic brew the lack of truth, accountability or justice and one might as well grind salt into our already gaping wounds. Sally’s death was the result of neglect and the extreme cruelty of mental health “professionals” and their ongoing treatment of us, as a bereaved family, tortuous beyond measure.
You are forever in our hearts Sal. Love, as always, Mum and Dad x
Justice for Sally 