Nick's Story

A bit different to our usual posts, but here at Delt we aim to support our staff in every way we can.

Here is our Infrastructure Engineer Nick’s story, that he has shared with the Delt team and is a topic that should be spoken about - please be aware this story does contain possible triggers around mental health and suicide.

"As most of you will know, I am Nick, one of the engineers in Infrastructure and Operations team and my family was changed forever on 4th July 2021.

Late afternoon that day, our youngest son Hamish, found our eldest 15-year-old son Cameron, unconscious and not breathing in his bedroom. Cameron had attempted to take his own life. He was rushed to Derriford Hospital, but in the early hours of the following morning his condition was deemed serious enough that he needed to be transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

Cameron was admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, where he remained on life support for seven days. Sadly, his brain injuries due to oxygen starvation were too severe, and he was pronounced brain stem dead on 11th July 2021.

If anyone has had dealings with the hospital, they will know what a truly amazing place it is. We will be forever indebted to all the staff who looked after Cam, kept us together and able to function. We will always treasure the time we had at the hospital which gave us some space to come to terms with what had happened, and to say our goodbyes.

Cameron did not die in vain and was able to do something truly amazing. He became an organ donor and gave the gift of life to five people. It gives us great comfort to know he lives on in other people who now have hope for the future. I would urge all of you at some point to talk about organ donation with your family and friends. Let them know, if the worst should happen, what your wishes would be.

The official charity of the hospital, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal, opened its arms to us and provided free accommodation in Bristol for as long as we needed. They provided an oasis of calm away from the hospital whilst our world broke apart around us. The charity not only provides high quality accommodation for parents of patients staying often long distances away from home, they are also a vital resource which helps fund medical research, fund lifesaving equipment for the hospital, organise music, play and art therapy for every ward and make the hospital a fun, stimulating and comforting place for the brave children it cares for.

So, my family and I are now starting a new journey through life without Cameron. We have an ever-growing support network around us and are being supported by staff at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, the NHS Organ Donation service, a specialist charity Pete's Dragons, counsellors and GPs. We are also grateful to all our family and friends who have cushioned us from the effects of our great loss.

Cameron had no history of mental illness and gave no indication he was deeply troubled inside. He had a good network of friends, was a popular member of his football team and had a family that loved him dearly. We will never understand why Cam did what he did on that fateful day. I hope our story never happens to another family but losing a family member or friend, however young or old to suicide is all too common. Please talk to your loved ones, ask them how they are feeling on a regular basis, and ask them more than once. If you have any concerns about your own mental health or a family member, please be brave and ask for help. I am still on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and often hit bumps in the road with my own feelings and thoughts but am slowly finding ways of coming to terms with what has happened. Delt have been very supportive to me, and I urge anyone finding life difficult to seek out the resources the company provides. That can be joining or watching a recording of one of Devon Mind’s lunchtime talks, using the Employee Assistance Programme or seeking out one of the mental health first aiders. Please, never feel afraid of reaching out and talking to someone you trust.

A week today I set off from London on a charity bike ride to Paris. The ride is over four days and finishes at the Eiffel Tower on Saturday 12th June. The ride is for Children’s Hospitals across the country, and I am one of Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal team specifically raising money for the hospital in Bristol. If you would like to donate to this worthy cause, please visit my JustGiving page.

Thank you."