Mandy Jamieson, a mother from Woolton, Liverpool, appeared on BBC Breakfast on Wednesday (October 28) to speak about the loss of her 16-year-old son, Daniel, who died from a single stab wound to his leg in Gateacre in 2018.
For the past five years, Mandy has organised the Serious Violence Remembrance evening in the city to raise awareness of violent crime and to offer a support network for other families. She opened up about her grief to presenters Sally Nugent and Jon Kay live on the BBC morning programme.
'Living a life sentence'
Describing her ongoing pain, Mandy said: "It never ends. It's like living a life sentence, to be honest with you. There's a thing when people ask you, 'How does it feel to have your child taken?' The only way that I can explain it to the kids is to use a little tiny poem [that says], 'The day my son died is yesterday, tomorrow, and forever.'"
She added: "People say, 'Well, Daniel died eight years ago.' Unfortunately, my son dies every morning I wake up. Every single morning. And it never stops. Every day is exactly the same, it doesn't end."
Reliving the night of the attack
Mandy continued: "My son bled out in my arms, and I'll never forget that night. I've got PTSD. I relive it every night. I hate mornings, and I hate nighttime... That night will stay with me forever."
The grieving mother then described how speaking about her son helps her come to terms with her loss. "I enjoy speaking about my son. I believe he deserves to be spoken about, I'm proud of him," she said, choking back tears.
Remembering Daniel's character
Mandy also reflected on the first few months following Daniel's passing. "When he first died, I went cuckoo, I did, I'm not gonna lie. I wanted to dig him up and take him home," she said. "He hated being on his own, he hated the cold. I was putting umbrellas in the grave when it was raining, because he hated the rain. It sends you round the bend, it really does."
Recalling her son's character, Mandy shared: "He was hysterical. He was hard work, I won't lie. Daniel wasn't an angel. He had ADHD and Asperger's, but he was mine, and he didn't deserve to die the way he died. It just breaks my heart, it really does. He's a twin, he's got a twin sister called Annie, who means the world to me. I miss him, I miss the banter, the arguing, I miss everything. It's just hard work. People don't get it... I don't want this life for anyone."
Raising awareness of knife crime
Mandy now speaks to young people and offenders to raise awareness about the devastating consequences of knife crime, highlighting just how swiftly a life can be taken by a knife. She concluded: "It takes a village to raise a child. Parents need to stand up to these kids now and take back our communities, and [teach] their kids to go on a different path."
