"I took the dog out for a walk, I came home and she had hung hers

Dealing with bereavement, particularly a family bereavement, is an emotionally fraught experience.  But as all too many families know, bereavement following suicide carries its own unenviable trauma.

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy this morning, Vickey Curtis told the nation of her experience with two such bereavements, exactly 10 years apart.

Aged just 19, she lost her much-loved mother to cancer.  And then, 10 years later, she had an experience beyond most of our comprehension, when she discovered her beloved housemate hanging in their shared flat.

When I came home from South America, she had changed. She wasn't wearing colourful clothes any more, she was quite reclusive. I noticed she was quite depressed. I reached out to her, told her to go to a doctor, to ring the Samaritans..

Vicky’s housemate was far more than a friend.  She was a companion, a confidante, very much a mother figure.  So, having spent a decade getting over the loss of her real mother, her pain of dealing with this second loss was almost too much to bear.

“I will never un-see that. The emotional reaction was a lot of anger. I was angry at her, because she knew I was coming home.”

Vickey Curtis has now written a play about her harrowing experiences of love and loss.  The play, entitled FINEM RESPICE, looks at the supposed timeline of grief, and examines how that's disrupted when grief keeps happening.  It will be performed at the Tiger Dublin Fringe Festival from September 21st-24th, at Smock Alley Boy's School in Dublin 2.

“She was amazing. Life and soul of the party, a complete bright spark. .. Really vibrant, really colourful. Her language was really colourful as well, she taught me a few new swear words!”

To listen to the full interview from The Ryan Tubridy Show, click here.