A father who lost his teenage daughter to suicide says more young people are “falling into despair”.
Mike Palmer lost his beloved daughter Beth, 17, to suicide in March 2020.
Firefighter Mike says the loss has been ‘beyond devastating’.
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“Never to hear her say ‘Love you Dad’ again is beyond comprehension,” he said.
“That terrible word ‘suicide’ and Beth never belong in the same sentence. It is always something that happens to someone else, but not this time, it happened to my family and me.”
The heartbreaking loss has inspired Mike, from Trafford, to join forces with two other dads who also lost their children to suicide.
Mike and his friends Andy Airey and Tim Owen will walk 300 miles in memory of their young daughters to raise awareness of young mental health.
They hope by sharing their stories, they can spare other families from the agony of losing a child.
“I believe Beth’s decision was impulsive and a reaction to having her life changed by Covid and the lockdown,” says Mike of his daughter, who was a talented musician.
“She hated the fact that she could not finish college with her friends and saw all her plans being cancelled one by one. She had so many questions and yet we had no answers.
“Not one single person in Beth’s life saw this coming. Had she known about PAPYRUS and HOPELINEUK then maybe she would still be living her life.”
He adds: “3 Dads Walking is not a club I want to belong to, but along with Andy and Tim it gives us, as fathers, an opportunity to fight back and maybe make a difference.
“We are all too aware that there are more young people out there falling into despair and see no way out other than to end their own precious lives.
“We hope that by linking our three homes and telling our three daughters’ very different stories we will put a spotlight on young mental health and ultimately the brutal effects of suicide.”
The 3 Dads Walking trek in memory of Sophie, Beth and Emily will raise awareness of suicide prevention and promote the professional help and support which is available to young people who are struggling with life.
The three dads will walk in support of the North West-based charity PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide and will begin at Andy’s home in Cumbria on Saturday October 9.
“Suicide is the biggest killer of young people under the age of 35 in the UK,” says Andy, whose 29-year-old daughter Sophie took her own life in 2018.
“We only learned this terrifying fact because each of us has lost a daughter to suicide within the last three years.
“By raising awareness, we hope to prevent other families from suffering such indescribable pain and bring something positive out of the utter devastation of losing a child to suicide.”
From Cumbria the three dads will head south, walking through South Lakeland and Lancashire to Mike’s home in Greater Manchester.
They will then head south east through Cheshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire before arriving at Tim’s family home in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
Tim’s 19-year-old daughter Emily was lost to suicide in March 2020.
“I strongly believe that in a moment of darkness my daughter made a wrong decision,” he says.
“Two minutes earlier or later it would have been different.
“Had she just taken time to think or to speak to someone, her decision and my family’s lives would be on another path. Instead she decided she could no longer go on, leaving behind a devastating ripple effect on her family and friends.
“She just had no idea how many lives she touched and continues to impact.”
Averaging 20 miles a day 3 Dads Walking aim to complete their challenge in 15 days, finishing their journey on Saturday October 23.
Every step of the way they will be remembering their daughters and supporting the work of PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide; promoting the charity’s belief that many young suicides can be prevented.
Ged Flynn, chief executive of PAPYRUS, says the walk will be a life-saver.
“Andy, Mike and Tim were leading different lives in different parts of the country and would probably never have met had they not been brought together by the tragedy and trauma of suicide which has shattered their lives and the lives of those around them,” he says.
“As 3 Dads Walking they will be able to channel their energy and focus on what they can do to help save young lives.
“It is remarkable that these proud fathers, who are each trying to deal with their own grief in their own way, have found a positive path forward together.”
You can donate to PAPYRUS on behalf of Andy, Tim and Mike by visiting their page here.
The website will also allow users to track the walk live, courtesy of www.opentracking.co.uk .
For practical, confidential suicide prevention help and advice please contact PAPYRUS HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141, text 07860 039967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org
