I want to tell you a story about our Amy. Amy was born on the 29th December, 1996.
She was a beautiful daughter, sister, cousin and friend.
She made us smile, laugh, cry and then smile again.
Growing up, she was cheeky, mischievous, adventurous and caring.
And she grew up to be cheeky, mischievous, adventurous and caring.
And also, the most beautiful young woman.
The thing we love most about our Amy is her big heart and caring nature, which led her to doing multiple charitable work.
She even threw herself out of a plane.
This all changed on the 21st August, 2017, at eight minutes past two, when our Amy was pronounced dead.
Our Amy boarded a train on the 19th August, 2017, which would take her to Elrow Town, London.
She arrived looking as Amy always did – hair in, eyelashes on, glitter in her hair and a smile on her face.
This is when our Amy made a mistake.
In a moment of madness, she took an unknown substance she was led to believe was the party drug MDMA.
She continued to socialise and smile. Then, she began to pay for her mistake.
Amy’s body rejected whatever unknown substance she had taken.
This led to her being violently sick and fitting multiple times.
Our Amy managed to make it home where she collapsed one more time.
Her parents were left with no other option but to perform CPR on their own daughter in their own home.
Amy was taken to Colchester General Hospital and immediately escorted to resuscitation.
Amy was very, very unwell.
She was taken to the intensive care unit. Amy was very, very unwell.
Our Amy fell into a coma.
She laid there, hair in, eyelashes on, glitter in her hair, but no smile on her face.
She lay there, motionless, still and seemingly peaceful.
The corridors of Colchester General Hospital echoed with the cries and screams of her family members.
Our Amy made a mistake. Our Amy will never smile again.
Our Amy is dead. Our Amy is dead.
In that moment of madness, she took an unknown substance. Our Amy had no idea it would have led to this.
She will not be celebrating Christmas any more, she will not be celebrating her 21st birthday.
She will not be buying her parents Mother’s or Father’s Day cards. She will never know the pain she has caused.
The next time you’re in that moment, please stop and think about our Amy and the consequences of her mistake on herself the family she has left behind.
Our Amy, our Amy.
1996-2017.