A Merseyside teenager has described the heartbreaking moment he woke up on Christmas Day to find his mother dead on their bathroom floor.
A Festive Eve Turns to Tragedy
Just hours earlier on Christmas Eve, Louise McKenzie, 38, had visited a doctor and was diagnosed with an inflamed pancreas. Her son, 18-year-old Reece Barrett, said they were told it was nothing serious. The pair from Bootle, Merseyside even completed some last-minute Christmas shopping before heading home.
Louise later began feeling dizzy and developed a headache, taking time to sit and rest. That evening, Reece went out to see friends. "She rang me to see where I was and when I was going to be home so I came straight home," he recalled.
"She was upstairs asleep, she was snoring her head off like she always would. I went in, said 'goodnight, I love you' and gave her a kiss, she said 'merry Christmas, I love you'. I stayed up for an hour or two then went to bed."
The Christmas Morning Discovery
The next morning, around 11am, Reece made the devastating discovery. "She was curled up on the floor of the bathroom," he said. "I tried to wake her up in the position she was in but there was nothing. I think I knew straight away she had passed away."
Reece immediately called his girlfriend, who told him to ring an ambulance. He performed CPR as instructed but sadly, Louise was pronounced dead at home. Police attended to confirm the death was not suspicious, as only Reece and his mother were in the house.
It is believed Louise died from a brain haemorrhage. Reece now tortures himself with hindsight. "We know now they're symptoms but at the time we had no clue it was a bleed on the brain. I hate myself that I didn't take her to the hospital," he admitted.
Life Turned Upside Down and Community Support
Reece, who works full-time as a civil servant, paid a moving tribute to his mother. "She was lovely. She was such a people person, she would always have a laugh and a joke with everyone," he said. "She was a mum, she would look after me and the dog."
His world has been shattered. The teen is now living with his girlfriend Holly and her family while he tries to organise permanent living arrangements for himself and their pet dog, Virgil. He cannot afford the rent on his mother's house alone.
In response, Holly's mother, Vicki Bradshaw, started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help Reece with the cost of living and securing a home. Initially reluctant, Reece accepted the support. "I had to sit there and accept the help," he said, acknowledging this is the hardest time of his life.
"Her Christmas pyjamas are still upstairs," he added. "She'll never get to wear them or see everything I had promised her. It's a killer."
