LIVING WITH FAMILY AGONY
AFAMILY who lost a young boy and his teenage sister within two years of each other have paid tribute after the sudden death of their dad.
Casey Breese was only 12 years old when he was killed in 2011 after a goalpost fell on him while he was out playing with his friends. A “cheeky” and “bubbly” young footballer, the boys he was with tried to rescue him, but sadly he could not be saved.
In an unthinkable set of circumstances, Casey’s 18-year-old sister Kelly died only two years later in a fatal accident when the car she was driving crashed and hit a tree.
Now, after the sudden death of Casey and Kelly’s father Nick, the Powys family are rallying around the pair’s cousin and her mission to raise thousands of pounds for the Welsh Air Ambulance that tried desperately to save them.
Speaking about her cousins, Ffion Jones said: “Casey was two years older than me, and Kelly, she was four years older than me. We’d go over to each other’s houses, we used to go on holidays to Pwllheli.
“We had a caravan and we’d go on activities like a day out on the boat around the lakes and things like that.”
Nursery assistant Ffion, 20, has fond memories of growing up with her two cousins in the tight-knit village of Clatter, near Caersws.
As well as having the support of the rural community around them, she says her family have helped each other through the difficult moments over the past 10 years, supporting Casey and Kelly’s older sisters Laura and Natasha and parents Shan and Nick.
Speaking about Casey’s death in 2011, Ffion said: “Casey was out in the football field in Caersws, he was playing football and he was in goal.
“When he went into goal he went to get the ball and he managed to get his foot stuck in the net. As you do, you tug it out and while he was doing so the goalpost toppled down. It was a metal one and landed on his back so he was flat on his stomach on the floor.
“He was with a couple of his mates and they were only around 11 or 12 years old at the time. The goalpost was that heavy that they couldn’t lift it off him so they went to go and get some help.”
Despit Despite e the best efforts of emergency services, including the Welsh Air Ambulance, Casey was rushed to hospital but could not b be saved. Thinking about her c cousin now, the words that come to Ffion’s mind are: “Cheeky, very ve cheeky.” She added: “He always alw had a smile on his face. If you saw him he would put his h thumbs up, that’s the thing he would always d do. He loved football, he p played for Caersws Foot Football Club anyway and he loved his sport and his hi bikes as well.
“I was still in primary sch school myself and being bein so young it’s qui quite hard to grasp and get you your head aro around it, to kn know that he’s h gone. It was such a freak accident, it’s n not someth thing that happens every day, it was completely out of the blue.
“I remember his funeral was absolutely massive.
“Hundreds of people turned up for it. It was that big that it ended up having a police escort there because it was so big. Being in a village, everyone knows everyone and him being a boy of such a young age.”
On October 13, 2013, Ffion’s family received news that few others could ever imagine. At 18 years old, Casey’s older sister, health and social care student Kelly, was involved in a fatal accident on the B4568 between Llanwnog and Aberhafesp, near Newtown.
Looking back, Ffion describes Kelly, who had been attending Newtown College, as a “beautiful soul” who was caring and kind.
She said: “It was a single person crash, there was no-one else involved and when she crashed she crashed into a tree unfortunately. That was a freak accident, she wasn’t speeding, she wasn’t on her phone, the road conditions weren’t wet so we literally don’t know what happened.
“There was huge support, everyone was doing as much as they could to help the family out, but it was a massive shock.”
Despite everything that’s happened, Ffion remains determined to stay positive and to do everything she can to help others.
In the past year she has raised more than £3,000 for the Welsh Air Ambulance and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool by planning a charity skydive in her cousins’ honour.
The air ambulance is a vital lifeline for rural communities, and Ffion’s reason for picking it as one of her charities of choice is simple: “You never know when you’re going to need it.”
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, Ffion’s skydive was cancelled in August last year. It was at that time that her family experienced yet more heartbreak with the sudden and unexpected death of her uncle Nick – Casey and Kelly’s father.
At only 61 years old, the dad-offour had suffered a blood clot on his lung.
On top of his work as a builder, Ffion paid tribute to an uncle who was the ever-supportive “rock” of the family and a talented chef who would always be in charge of the kitchen at family events.
On the day of his funeral, local residents lined the streets to pay their respects at a time when they were unable to attend the service due to coronavirus restrictions.
Ffion said: “It was a complete shock. He just had a bit of what he thought was indigestion, a tight chest.
“He was working at the time and didn’t feel right and he ended up being taken into hospital by ambulance.
“We had a phone call saying things aren’t looking good and he was in hospital and probably an hour later we had a phone call saying he’d passed away from a blood clot on the lung.”
Speaking about her skydiving
challenge, she added: “Because it was meant to be last year I was doing my skydive, I’d discussed it with Shan and Nick.
“They were very supportive of it, they both said they were going to come down to the event and watch and support me.
“They were helping me to raise funds and sponsoring me so they’re very proud.”
As well as the Welsh Air Ambulance, Ffion is also raising money for the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as a way of thanking them for saving her friend.
In 2019 Ffion’s childhood friend Willow experienced a cardiac arrest aged 17 due to an ongoing heart condition. Her sister performed CPR until Willow was taken to the Liverpool hospital, where they saved her life.
Thankfully, she has now made a full recovery and is “making the most of life and enjoying every moment”.
Ffion’s skydive is now due to take place on August 8.
After reaching her initial goal of £3,000, she is hoping to meet her new target of £5,000 by holding different fundraising events leading up to the summer.
She said: “A skydive is something I’ve always wanted to do from a young age. I put it off for a little bit and thought if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it for a cause.
“Because the Welsh Air Ambulance and Alder Hay Hopsital are two charities that are close to me, I thought I would try and raise as much money as I can and jump out of an airplane at the same time.
“A lot of my family were shocked, they thought I must be crazy. My dad said he would pay me not to do it, he hates heights.”
Dougie Bancroft, Wales Air Ambulance community co-ordinator, said: “Ffion has already raised an incredible £3,000 in aid of two important causes.
“Despite the heartache the family has suffered, Ffion has taken it upon herself to jump out of a plane in memory of her cousins and uncle to raise money for charity. What a lovely tribute to remember her loved ones by.
“Thank you so much, Ffion, and good luck with the skydive.”