The reward for us is knowing that people we have helped are still here

DURING the darkest of days after her precious son took his own life, Shirley Smith could have been forgiven for struggling to go on.

But out of unimaginable loss and pain, the brave mum has found the strength to help spare other families the same heartbreak.

Shirley set up the If U Care Share Foundation after she lost her son Daniel O’Hare in 2005.

The 19-year-old, who had no history of mental health problems or depression, took his own life without warning, and to this day his family still have no idea what was behind his decision.

The County Durham foundation offers individually tailored support to people from all walks of life who feel like they can’t go on.

If U Care Share has three key aims: prevention, intervention and support after suicide. Since it was founded Shirley and her team have helped hundreds of people find hope in their lives who might otherwise not still be here.

And now one of those individuals has expressed her gratitude by nominating Shirley for one of our Chronicle Champion Awards.

After hearing she had been nominated as a Community Champion, Shirley told The Chronicle she was “touched” and “honoured” – but also just thankful she and her team have been able to help people stay alive.

The 54-year-old, from Great Lumley, near Chester-le-Street, said “We lost out son to suicide, which is why we started the charity. He never spoke about the way he was feeling. The reward for us is knowing that people we have helped are still here. I don’t think you can overestimate that.”

The woman who nominated Shirley has described her as her ‘guardian angel.’

She said: “This lady set-up this charity out of heartache and she has saved lots of lives, including mine. I thank Shirley every day. She is my guardian angel.”

And Shirley said of the woman who put her forward: “She will always have a special place in my heart because of everything she was going through. I just want to give her a great big hug. She’s a beautiful lady and she has so much to live for.”