The Functioning Griefster

A rising football star. A test drive. A mother’s double heartbreak

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2432557/open_sms] In this powerful episode, I sit down with Kerry, a devoted mum whose world changed in an instant when a tragic accident took both her husband, David, and their son, Cameron. Cameron wasn’t just any boy, he was a rising football star with a professional contract and a heart that lived for his friends, his family, and the game. Kerry opens up about the day that shattered her world, the shockwaves that followed, and the strength it takes to keep breathing when everything feels impossible. Together, we talk about love, loss, survival, and the invisible threads that connect us to those we’ve lost. Recorded in Dec’s van — the heart of The Functioning Griefster — this conversation reminds us that grief isn’t something to fix. It’s something to honour, to carry, and to keep finding meaning within. Thank you, Kerry, for trusting me with your story, and for reminding us all that connection truly is the medicine grief needs. 🌷 You can follow Kerry’s journey via her TikTok channel https://www.tiktok.com/@kerrylou711?_r=1&_t=ZN-917HvpUzGIY [https://www.tiktok.com/@kerrylou711?_r=1&_t=ZN-917HvpUzGIY]

A TIKTOK trend. A locked door. A Mothers CPR

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2432557/open_sms] He’d done it before and woken up euphoric. This time, he didn’t.” “We left the house as four. We came back as three.” It was just a normal school day. Isaac rode shotgun, grabbed his favourite Doritos, and ran upstairs like he always did. A few minutes later, Lisa called him for dinner. When he didn’t answer, she assumed he was playing a prank. But when she broke down the locked bathroom door, everything changed. Isaac had used his school tie to take part in a dangerous social media challenge — one he’d tried before and survived. This time, he didn’t. In this devastating episode, Lisa shares the moment she fought to save her 13 year-old son’s life, performing CPR on her own child while her daughter called 999. She talks about the surreal days in hospital, watching Isaac’s body begin to shut down, and the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye surrounded by family. At 3:41pm on the 9th of March 2022, Lisa’s world changed forever. Now, alongside other grieving parents, she’s turning her pain into purpose, fighting to educate young people and schools about the risks of online challenges, and preserving Isaac’s legacy through awareness, love and action. In this honest and emotional conversation between two grieving mothers, we also talk about what grief really feels like — how the silence fills your house when they’re not in it, how you become transfixed on medical equipment, and how your entire identity shifts when your child dies. This episode also pays tribute to the support Lisa received from COSMIC (Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care). https://cosmiccharity.org.uk/ [https://cosmiccharity.org.uk/]

One loyal, vulnerable boy. A knife. Two fatal stabs. Three teenagers who planned it all.

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2432557/open_sms] A loyal, vulnerable boy betrayed. They groomed him, they lured him, they stabbed him. A murder planned online, their posts, BECAME PROOF. Olly Stephens was just 13 years old, a boy who loved doing wheelies, baking, cooking, making people laugh, and standing up for others. He was a son, a brother, a friend. But his loyalty and vulnerability were exploited. Groomed by older boys who glamorised gang culture, and lured to a park by a girl he once called a friend, Olly was ambushed only yards from his home. Two stabs from a teenager’s knife ended his life and triggered a media surge to uncover the truth. Social media played a devastating role, used to plan the murder and brag about weapons, but it also became the very evidence that convicted them. In this episode, Olly’s mum, Amanda, shares who her son truly was, the painful reality of grooming and knife crime, and the grief of losing a child to violence. She also speaks about the court case that followed, and her determination to raise awareness so no other family has to endure the same loss. Help following the topics raised today, can be found at the below websites, all of whom have helped Amanda. https://benkinsella.org.uk/ [https://benkinsella.org.uk/] https://no5.org.uk/ [https://no5.org.uk/] https://parentingspecialchildren.co.uk/ [https://parentingspecialchildren.co.uk/] https://www.n3wangle.com/ [https://www.n3wangle.com/] https://startingpoint.org.uk/contact/ [https://startingpoint.org.uk/contact/]

It took 14 years for Brianna to blossom. The petals were torn away when hate and transphobia met obsession and betrayal

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2432557/open_sms] From Warrington to the world — the LGBTQ+ community mourned Brianna Ghey after her tragic murder. But this is her mother’s story. Her pain. Her insight into who Brianna truly was. Esther was a young single mum to two beautiful children — Brett and his sister. Life was full of memories until a “three became four” when she met her husband, and their family felt complete. Brett was openly gay, gymnastic-loving, and full of life, but lockdown hit hard. At 14, Brett blossomed into Brianna — a beautiful, makeup-loving young woman. Esther’s only concern was the medical impact of hormones, never acceptance. Brianna’s teenage years became increasingly tangled with social media, and she was hospitalised after restricting her food intake and falling into dangerous online ideals of “skeletal beauty.” In February 2023, a friend with ulterior motives and a peer with deep transphobia lured Brianna to a park, where she was brutally stabbed. Both killers are now serving over 20 years in prison. Behind the headlines is a family — a mother, sister, and stepfather — grieving someone they adored. The world lit candles, vigils were held from Warrington to New York, and even Sam Smith wore a headdress with “Brianna Ghey” in her honour. Today, Esther channels her grief into purpose — bringing mindfulness into schools, advocating for better mental health support, and keeping Brianna’s legacy alive. She has shared her story with the Prime Minister, written a book, and continues to speak out so that no other family has to endure the pain she lives with every day.https://www.briannaslegacy.org/ [https://www.briannaslegacy.org/] This episode is warmly sponsored by Love, Loss and Disco Balls — a unique card company bringing honesty, warmth, and colour to life’s hardest moments. Find out more: Lovelossdiscoballs.com

Episode 6: From Catwalks to chemo. Leah’s brave ADHD fuelled life as an influencer

Send a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2432557/open_sms] “She strutted down that catwalk in shoes two sizes too big — and still looked like a queen.” In this episode of The Functioning Griefster, I sit down with Jenny, fellow young mum, ADHD soul, and mother of Leah, a teenage cancer warrior and TikTok creator whose light continues to shine even after her passing. Leah was studying childcare, juggling two jobs, falling in love, and had just won Miss British Isles when her life was turned upside down by a diagnosis: Ewing’s sarcoma — a rare form of bone cancer. She fought. She filmed. She shared it all. And when remission came, the fear didn’t go. Fifteen months later, she thought she had the hangover from hell. But it was back — this time in her lungs. Jenny and I talk about: •What it’s like to grieve with ADHD •Parenting when you know your child is dying •Living in hospital rooms •And the pain of hearing “She’s out of pain now” when you’re still in agony every single day Leah’s honesty, humour and defiance gave thousands of people strength. And now, her legacy continues through Leah’s Little Sunflowers — raising funds to buy a wheelchair-accessible caravan by the sea for families of terminally ill children to just be together. Why “Coldplay Yellow” Because it’s Leah loved yellow, and the stars now shine for her. 🌻 Support Leah’s legacy here: 👉 https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/leahs-little-sunflowers [https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/leahs-little-sunflowers]