‘A heartbroken mother has paid tribute to her son ,and made a plea to others, after her son took his own life while under lockdown at university.
Ben Brown, 22, was an architectural engineering student at Loughborough University, and died in the early hours of Monday morning (April 27).
He took his life after writing a letter to his mum explaining that he struggled mentally ‘when he wasn’t on the go’.
His mum, Helen Hartery-Brown, 54, has sent out a heartfelt message to those who might be struggling to speak out that help is available, reports GloucestershireLive.
Helen said how Ben, who also had attended Welbeck College to do his A-Levels, had been living with university housemates during lockdown and communicating with his family.
She said: “He was on lockdown in Loughborough with two of his house mates from university.
“We video called him at 6pm the night before he took his life.
“Ben was very close to his Mum.
“My last words to him were, ‘I love you millions.’ His last words to me were, ‘I love you too mum’.”
The night before he died he didn’t express how he was feeling about lockdown when he spoke to his loving parents. It was only in the letter that he expressed his thoughts.
“The lockdown had a massive impact on him,” Helen said.
“Ben had not spoken to anyone about how he was feeling. He found it all too overwhelming.
“He said in the letter to me he had thoughts when he was at rest and that is why he was a million miles an hour. He was busy all the time because he did not want to be alone with his thoughts.”
Helen doesn’t want others to suffer like her boy did. She wants other people, of any age, to tell their loved ones or friends how they are feeling and know they are not alone.’
