Death of a parent at a young age

Losing someone at any age changes your life forever. However, I lost my mum six months ago — me being 23, and she was 43. She suffered with severe mental health conditions, including psychosis and BPD. Being her primary care giver while working was incredibly hard.

My mum often self-medicated with weed and alcohol, sometimes not eating or drinking for days. One day she went to A&E for a mental health assessment and suddenly passed away in the seating area for the waiting room

As her next of kin, everything fell on me — planning her funeral and dealing with endless paperwork — all at 23 years old. These are things no one ever teaches you in school.

One thing I’ve found while dealing with the passing of my mum is just how deeply grief can change you. And how fast people forget that your grieving… She was the only real adult figure in my life — the only person who showed me even an ounce of love growing up. I had never experienced grief before, so losing her left me feeling completely lost and empty.
I constantly think about how she will never see the milestones in my life — me getting married, having children. Everything I do now is without her, and in many ways.

But one thing I would say to anyone struggling the way I am now is this: you are not alone….I believe everything happens for a reason. And while I am deeply sad, I also believe that I had to lose her in order to find myself again.

- Anonymous