Susan - Interview 8  

Susan - Interview 8

Age at Interview: 58
Sex: Female
Background: Susan replenishes stock in a supermarket. She is married and has a grown up son and a teenage daughter. She had 2 other sons who died. Ethnic background/nationality: White English.

Brief outline:Two of Susan’s sons have taken their own lives by hanging. Barry died in 1995 and Stephen died in April 2006. Susan has had support from various sources. She is still grieving but feels she must “move on” for the sake of her other children.

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Female
Having a tattoo with her son’s names was a personal way of remembering them. She and her husband often visit their memorial bench in the churchyard.

 



And did you get any more support from the church for example.


No. No. I think if I’d have needed it, it would’ve been available, yeah, I think you can go and talk, I get a lot of comfort from visiting my sons’ graves, I’ve also got a memorial bench in their memory, with a plaque, I also have a tattoo with both their names which for me is comfort, it’s my way of, it’s my own little personal thing of remembering my sons. And even my counsellor said that she thought that was a really good idea. Because she actually said would I mind if she mentioned that to some of her clients. Because they often say, I want to do something to sort of remember and she thought that was a really lovely idea to do that. I said, I just suddenly thought it’s something I want, you know, to do, and I did it last year when I went on holiday. I thought, yeah, I’m going to have this done you know, with the help of my daughter dragging me in.


Where’s the memorial bench?


That is actually in the churchyard, yes.


That’s nice.


Yeah.


Have you got their names on it?


I have yeah, have a plaque. Instead of, what we actually did this time, instead of having too many flowers, we decided to put donations to a memorial bench in their memory. Obviously asking people if, if they minded if that’s what we did, and nobody had any problems at all, and it really is lovely. Yes.


How did you find someone to make that?


My husband was talking to a guy in the cemetery, about the benches, and he actually gave my husband a place to go. And which he did, he went and ordered it and [um], they actually made it, fitted it and we can just sit there and quiet and can actually see the graves from there yeah, it’s really lovely.


How often do you go?


We go every week. Yes. My husband goes every day.

Bereavement due to suicide
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