I said ‘I love you' to my daughter then lived every parent's nightmare – the text I received in Aldi destroyed my life
Kathleen Firth could never have imagined what would be found in the park that day
MUM'S HELL I said 'I love you' to my daughter then lived every parent's nightmare – the text I received in Aldi destroyed my life
AS SHE waved goodbye to her daughter, Kathleen Firth could never have imagined it would be the last time she would see her.
Kathleen, 37, experienced "every parent's worst nightmare" in February 2023, just five days before her daughter Alyssa Morris's 14th birthday.
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Kathleen Firth misses her daughter Alyssa Morris every day
Credit: Supplied
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She describes Alyssa (seen here as a child) as beautiful and funny
Credit: Supplied
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Kathleen says it was a 'perfect storm' of circumstances that lead to her death
Credit: Supplied
Alyssa, 13, was found unresponsive in Brungerley Park in Clitheroe, Lancashire, where she used to build dens with her brother Jenson, 14.
She had taken her own life after months of relentless bullying, something that Kathleen believes should - and could - have been prevented.
Kathleen first became aware of the devastating news as she popped to a local Aldi for a shop.
She believes that social media, bullying and Covid lockdown, created "the perfect storm" of circumstances that lead to her daughter's death.
The mum-of-four suspected that Alyssa may have been neurodiverse but was unable to receive a formal diagnosis - which Kathleen believes prevented Alyssa from getting the correct support.
Alyssa's family - including her father Chris Morris, 36, and siblings Poppy, 11, Jenson, 14 and Daniella, 17- have been fundraising for Papyrus, a mental health charity for young people, Chester Hospital and the firefighters, to help cope with their grief and to keep Alyssa's memory alive.
They hope by sharing their story, they can raise awareness of the dangers of social media and online bullying.
Support worker Kathleen said: "Alyssa took a part of me with her when she died, and life hasn't been the same since.
"As a family, we are still coming to terms with the loss.
"It haunts me that her death could have been prevented, had we known what was really going on and if she'd had the correct support.
My husband killed himself the day after our honeymoon - there were no signs & he sent Valentine's flowers months later
"I knew she'd been struggling, but we had no idea how bad the bullying had become.
"Thanks to phones and social media it intruded into her home life too."
Self-harm from aged 11
Alyssa was described as a "funny, beautiful, very clever" young girl, who loved drawing, Hamilton the musical and had dreams of working with animals.
An inquest heard that the teenager began displaying "social anxieties" and had self-harmed.
Alyssa first experienced bullying in 2020, and Kathleen claims that the bullying and harassment continued mainly online but included a physical attack at a bus stop in July 2022, which was reported to the police.
She wasn't really supposed to be using social media, they're not designed for children her age
Kathleen Firth
Kathleen said: "She'd started self-harming at 11, which was terrifying and left me feeling completely helpless.
"I tried to speak to her about it, but it always led to arguments and she'd get very defensive.
"Whenever I tried to seek medical help, she would get upset.
"Alyssa wasn't comfortable discussing issues in front of people.
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As a young child Alyssa loved drawing and had dreams of working with animals
Credit: Supplied
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It was severe bullying that lead Alyssa to take her own life
Credit: Supplied
"She became really isolated during covid, which didn't help her anxiety.
"Covid separated her and the only form of communication she had was social media.
"She wasn't really supposed to be using social media, they're not designed for children her age.
"But we had to become more lenient because she couldn't go out and play during covid.
I don't ever want to let her name die with her
Kathleen Firth
"We monitored her phone every day but she deleted things she didn't want us to see."
On Sunday 12 February 2023, Kathleen was shopping in Aldi when she was alerted to an incident in Brungerley Park after her sister texted her to ask "if the kids were okay".
She "rushed" home to check on her children, but Alyssa was missing.
You're Not Alone
EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide
It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers.
It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes.
And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women.
Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now.
That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign.
The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives.
Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone.
If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, www.thecalmzone.net, 0800 585 858
Heads Together,www.headstogether.org.uk
HUMEN www.wearehumen.org
Mind, www.mind.org.uk, 0300 123 3393
Papyrus, www.papyrus-uk.org, 0800 068 41 41
Samaritans,www.samaritans.org, 116 123
Alyssa was found unresponsive in the park "just a few minutes away" from her family home in Clitheroe and passed away shortly after at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.
An inquest was held at Accrington Town Hall and Coroner Richard Taylor concluded that she had taken her own life.
Kathleen blames social media platforms for "trivialising suicide" and believes that videos and content that she was exposed to "failed to make her understand the severity of her actions".
Kathleen said: "I don't ever want to let her name die with her.
"I want to keep her name alive.
"I will always advocate for children's mental health.
"It's two years since and it still doesn't feel real.
"It doesn't feel like it's happened to me."
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
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