Pick Me Up! 20-Jun-2019

Waving my mum Christine, 72, off on holiday with my dad Phillip, 72, in May 2016 I never expected it to be the last time I’d see her. ‘Have a lovely time,’ I told them. ‘Eat all the halloumi,’ chimed in my sister Angela. They were so excited, all ready to celebrate my dad’s retirement on a trip to Cyprus. Only, just days into their holiday, a devastating car accident happened. Mum died the following day and Dad had minor injuries. When I heard the news I totally crumbled. I was thousands of miles away and couldn’t help, heartbroken. That’s when Angela stepped up. Dealt with the authorities in Cyprus. Arranged for Mum’s body to be flown home. We held the funeral in Trowbridge in August 2016. Angela’s strength for…

When visiting Bali I just had to take a dip in the Tukad Cepung Waterfall. It was magical. Bethan Hope, via e-mail On holiday in Egypt, I loved meeting this gorgeous camel. Kendra Seville, Prenton My 2-year-old Matilda took dressing up to a new level when she tried on her mum’s wedding dress! Chris Law, Colne If you look closely you’ll see the newest addition to The Beatles! I think she’s fab… Shirley Dodds, Wallsend This is Chloe-Rose, 6, and Riley, 17 weeks, celebrating Red Nose Day 2019. How adorable! Claire Fortune, Crewe I love this pic of me and my friends exploring Altea harbour on our recent holiday to Spain, celebrating over 30 years of friendship. Natasha Douglas, Rainham While visiting my mum and dad in Worthing, I took…

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Hearing the familiar cries of my newborn, I dragged myself out of bed. It was November 2006, and Mollie was 1 month old. She was my fourth baby, but the first me and my husband Yan had together. Pregnancy had been smooth, but things had gone drastically downhill since. Mollie suffered with colic and reflux. She was miserable, in constant discomfort. I was miserable, too. Exhausted and overwhelmed, I struggled to bond with her. With three children from a previous relationship, Chris, then 18, Dave, 16, and Jess, 10, motherhood wasn’t new, but this feeling was. I was normally outgoing, but since bringing Mollie home from hospital, I hadn’t left the house. Putting one foot in front of the other felt impossible. But Yan, 39, was there for me, a…

As time passed, I tried to process Yan’s death. I thought about conversations, incidents, signs that I might have missed. But, hand on heart, there weren’t any. And when I talked to others, they agreed. ‘I wish I’d seen it coming,’ I told Steven. ‘How? He didn’t let on,’ he said. He was right. And as I searched for reasons, I found none. I worried that financial pressure had pushed him. But then Yan didn’t leave any debts behind. Maybe he didn’t love me? Or was having an affair? Ridiculous. He adored me, and he didn’t have time for a fling. In July, I attended the inquest with Steven and my sister Margaret, 51. Yan’s death was ruled as suicide. There were no surprises. It felt like a formality. I…

As he showed me around his kitchen, I noticed that my neighbour was blushing. ‘Help yourself to whatever,’ Lee O’Shea, 32, said. He was the grown-up and I was just a kid but he could barely look me in the eye. He seemed so shy. ‘I’ll be back in an hour,’ he said. As he left, I switched on the TV and relaxed. My younger sister went to school with Lee’s kids and he’d asked me to babysit while he went to the gym. It was June 2012 - and at 13, I was excited to be earning my own money. When Lee came home and pressed the cash into my hand, I was elated. ‘Mum, I got £40!’ I squealed. ‘Lee’s a nice bloke,’ my dad smiled. After that,…