Three mums complete 17-day walk in memory of their boys

Kim McCarthy, Liz Hurlstone and Michelle Dore want to get young people talking about their problems

Three women who lost their sons to suicide have completed a 265-mile walk in their memory for charity and to encourage other young people to talk about their problems.

The trio said they were exhausted but the feat had been worth every minute.

Liz Hurlstone from Staffordshire, along with Kim McCarthy from Northamptonshire and Michelle Dore from Kent, walked for 17 days.

They were supporting the charity Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide.

The mums said they were joined on the walk by some 'incredible' people

"We have been joined by so many incredible, inspiring people - people who have lost children in the last three months," said Mrs Hurlstone.

"They are part of this incredible journey, and we will never forget them, and never forget their children."

The three women walked from Mrs Hurlstone's home in Madeley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, to Northamptonshire and then finished in Kent.

"We just thought of our boys all the way," said Kim McCarthy. "I just hope that every step we have done, we have raised awareness."

Seb Hurlstone had "so much to live for", his mother said

Mrs Hurlstone said her son Seb, 17, was "a bright, intelligent, funny, sensitive, very competitive, sporty, kind, and handsome young man, with so much to live for".

But despite his confidence he "always found dealing with and talking about his emotions impossible" and had a "fiercely stubborn streak", she said.

At the time of his death he was undergoing assessment for autism and found normal social interaction "difficult and draining".

He struggled through lockdown and despite doing well academically, he died in November 2021.

Mrs Hurlstone said if he had been able to talk about his issues "things may have been very different not only for him, but also for the very many people who still love, miss and remember him daily".

Kim McCarthy's son, Hayden, took his life in 2019

Ms McCarthy said her son, Hayden, lost his father to suicide at the age of five, and believed he hid "struggles he'd been having from a young age into adulthood".

She said he was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, but found a job he loved at a pub and seemed happy to have his independence.

When he then took his own life aged 21 in 2019, she said the family was in "deep shock" and the turnout for his funeral showed how he was "so well loved and badly missed by everyone".

She said: "If Hayden realised the impact he had on people and how much love and joy he brought into our lives I know he'd still be here."

Michelle Dore said she never suspected her son Maxi was unhappy

The death of Michelle Dore's son Maxi came completely out of the blue, she said.

"He had no mental health issues whatsoever, he was communicative, happy and had so much to live for."

There was not a "single moment" in his 17 years when she said she thought "he seems sad".

She added: "My message to one and all is, quite simply, if Maxi did what he did then this can happen to anyone - and I mean anyone. It is frightening but it is a fact."

Seb's brother Alex Hurlstone said their mum was Wonder Woman

Mrs Hurlstone said she was grateful to have formed friendships with women of the same experience as no matter how good a support network she had, it was difficult for people to understand what they had been through.

Her son Alex said his mum had done him and his brother Seb proud with the walk, adding: "It is an immense feat, she is Wonder Woman."

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