The mum of a schoolgirl who died from an asthma attack has set up a bereavement support group after admitting losing her daughter was the "hardest thing she has ever gone through".
Katy Bulpitt tragically died following the sudden and fatal episode on November 2, 2021, leaving behind her devastated mum, Tracy, 42, and five siblings. The Our Lady's High School pupil had been suffering from chronic and severe asthma before her untimely death at home in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire.
Seven days after Katy's passing, Tracy was hit with double heartache after her dad Robert Spiers died aged 71. Their deaths left the mum-of-six struggling to cope with her grief and she found no way to receive support.
Tracy told the Record: "Losing Katy was heartbreaking, the hardest thing I've ever gone through. What didn't help was the fact that I lost my dad just seven days later.
"It was so hard trying to pull myself out of bed and carry on for Katy's five siblings. I was trying to deal with two funerals, two post-mortems as well as still trying to carry on for my five other children.
"I could have done with the support at that point, it was raw and I needed someone to talk to. When I went to my GP, they offered me tablets but I knew it wouldn't help me in the long-run - they weren't going to take the situation away from me, being able to talk and unload was."
Eighteen months on and after receiving support from Handmade with Love Making Memories - a charity that helps those grieving to hold on to memories with keepsakes - Tracy says she is now ready to help other families struggling with bereavement.
In memory of Katy, her mum has decided to set up a bereavement support group to help others in her area as she remembers her daughter as a "bright, bubbly, caring and smiley girl who wanted to make friends with everyone".
She said: "It has all passed in a blur, I've watched life milestones passing, which has been hard. Things that Katy should have done, but she wasn't there and watching her friends growing up and becoming the age that Katy is never going to be.
"She was such a bright, bubbly, caring and smiley girl who wanted to make friends with everyone. You never heal from losing a child but having the support has helped me to grow.
"The best way to describe it, is that your grief will always stay the same size - say like the size of a ball. Eventually, you learn to grow around that ball of grief.
"When I lost Katy, there were long waiting lists for counsellors and next to no online support for the loss of a child at her age. I want to pay back for the help that I did get and I recognise there's not much help out there for bereaved families."
The group, Gone But Never Forgotten, will operate every Tuesday and Thursday between 10am and 2pm at the Cumbernauld Vineyard Church. Those wishing to attend are invited to invite drop-in sessions for a "brew and a blether".
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