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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
National
Sophie Grubb

Woman's heartache after her sister and mum suddenly died within months of each other

Following her sister's inquest, Stacey Jordan made the short walk from the coroner's court to the morgue.

It was there that she had to identify her mum's body.

She had lost them both within six months of each other, both to sudden deaths well before their time.

Having shown incredible strength in the face of unimaginable grief, the Bristol woman is now hoping to fund a joint headstone so they can both be commemorated in the grave they share.

The 31-year-old, currently living in Downend, said: "It's not the most important thing in the world, but there's no evidence at the moment that my mum is in there.

"I visit them at least once a week, it's really nice there and tidy and peaceful.

"I have a chat and usually play some music, or have a cup of tea if I've brought my travel mug."

Lucy White and her mum Annabel White (Stacey Jordan/ Live for Lucy)

She launched a GoFundMe page for the headstone earlier this week, recalling how her loss "turned my life upside down".

Stacey's sister Lucy White died at the age of just 24, in May 2018.

The university student, who was studying criminology, suffered a cardiac arrest following drug use.

It was devastating news for Stacey, who had worked hard to keep her only sibling off the path of addiction their mum had been caught on.

She remembers receiving a call from her Nan, delivering the news that Lucy was in hospital in a coma.

Even now, she says she cannot stand to hear the sound of her old Samsung ringtone, as it brings back the pain of that life-changing moment.

'She was the happiest person'

Stacey, who works in security at the University of Bristol, said: "My sister was the happiest, jolliest person who just wanted to help and hug everybody.

"She loved my mum so much."

Criminology student Lucy White was just 24 when she died of a cardiac arrest (Stacey Jordan/ Live for Lucy)

She managed to fundraise £7,000 at the time to cover the funeral costs and headstone, and her ashes were buried at Kingswood Remembrance Park.

It was barely six months later that their mum Annabel White was found dead in her flat in January 2019, at the age of just 51.

Although it was recorded as natural causes, Stacey believes her mum had deliberately stopped taking her medication and had given up on life following Lucy's death.

She added: "She was depressed and blamed herself for Lucy, and wasn't looking after herself."

Stacey has tried leaving a temporary plaque for her mum but would like something more permanent (Stacey Jordan/ Live for Lucy)

While she was able to arrange for her mum's ashes to also be buried with Lucy, the headstone had no room for any more inscription.

Stacey said: "Obviously I wasn't anticipating mum to die too.

"I've tried leaving a separate plaque for her on the ground but it gets damaged every time they strim the grass or removed."

Dog died months later

She took in Lucy's elderly dog Bob, but the pet died a few months after her mum, in September 2019.

Stacey also scattered his ashes at the grave, and said she felt like he had held on to support her during the worst of the grieving process.

Stacey Jordan visiting the grave of her mum and sister in Kingswood at Christmas (Stacey Jordan/ Live for Lucy)

'You just have to get on with it'

She added that she has "got used" to grief, as her grandparents also died two weeks apart when she was younger.

She and Lucy lived with them in St George during their childhood, and were taken into care afterwards.

Stacey added: "You just have to get on with it - you don't have a choice.

"I've got a full-time job to hold down, who else will go to work if I have a breakdown?"

Lucy White and her sister Stacey Jordan (Stacey Jordan/ Live for Lucy)

Visiting their grave has been a huge help, she said, and she will bring along anything she is proud of to show them - like a medal for completing a 10km run, and a certificate when she went skydiving.

She is currently living in limbo in an Airbnb in Downend, after the home she purchased with her partner fell through following the sale of their previous home in St George.

However, they are hoping to move out to a property a short walk away from the graveyard, allowing her more frequent visits.

She estimates the new headstone will cost upwards of £1,000 to get the double heart style she is hoping for.

  • To donate to help Stacey, visit GoFundMe and search for 'A headstone for Lucy, Mum & Bob the dog'

Writing on the page, Stacey said: "I always thought I would find the money somehow to get them a new headstone to show them all together, but things haven't gone the way I had planned (they never do) so I thought there was no harm in making this.

"Thanks so much for being so generous, I've really tried my best to be a good human."

Stacey has been courageous in sharing her story Facebook page Live for Lucy, which she said was initially set up to share funeral details but turned into a campaign to raise awareness of the devastating impact drugs can have.

For reasons unknown to her, her campaign has been shared widely recently and hundreds of people have been joining in the past few days.

Many people have been messaging saying they have been touched by her story, she said, with strangers expressing how they felt touched and inspired by her candour.

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