When hope can arise out of the depths of tragedy
WE HAVE all heard heartbreaking stories about those who have battled lifelong illnesses or died in sudden and unexpected circumstances.
But sometimes when tragedy strikes it can also act as a way of highlighting issues and helping others suffering similar heartache.
Here we look at some of the wonderful legacies that are working tirelessly to keep alive the memories of people across Wales who were taken too soon.
THE MATHEW MIZEN FOUNDATION
Mathew Mizen was just 25 years old when he suddenly died in 2008 following a short mystery illness.
A popular postman from Cwmavon, in Neath Port Talbot, he had been playing rugby for his beloved Cwmavon RFC just three weeks before he died.
After suddenly becoming ill he began to deteriorate and was admitted to hospital.
While his death at the time remained a mystery to his loved ones, tests later showed he died from acute respiratory distress syndrome with an underlying diagnosis of T-cell lymphoma.
His parents, Rhidian and Myra Mizen, decided to set up the Mathew Mizen Foundation in his memory as a way to give back to the community of Cwmavon.
The foundation in his name has now been running for a decade and has built up a reputation for its annual January charity dip at Aberavon beach.
After first starting out with around 15 people heading into the freezingcold sea, now around 50 people are brave enough to take the plunge.
Mr Mizen added: “I think Mathew would be proud and if he was alive he would be doing the dip himself.
“I’m hoping that he’s looking down on us and smiling.”
2 WISH UPON A STAR
In February 2012 Rhian Mannings’ life was turned upside down when her one-year-old son George died suddenly after suffering a seizure at home.
It was later discovered that George was suffering with bronchial pneumonia and a severe strain of type A influenza.
Just five days later her grief-stricken husband Paul took his own life.
Amid her darkest hour, the Pontyclun mum set up the charity 2 Wish Upon A Star which provides support to bereaved families.
“My one-year-old son died suddenly in an A&E department and we left with no idea where to go next,” she said.
“Five days later my husband took his own life. We received no support and had nowhere to turn.
“Within a few months I knew I wanted to help our local community in Miskin as they were the only support we received.
“I set up a fund and within weeks it was clear that I had identified a gap across Wales.
“People contacted me saying, ‘This has happened to me’ so I decided to give up my job as a teacher and tried to put things in place for people who have lost a child.”
She added: “It’s my boy’s legacy and it will always be bittersweet.”
THE MULLANY FUND
When Ben and Catherine Mullany married in July 2008 no-one could have predicted the tragedy that would take place just days later.
While on honeymoon in Antigua, the health professionals, both aged 31 and from the Swansea Valley, were shot by intruders in their luxury chalet.
Mr Mullany was in his third year of training to become a physiotherapist while his new wife was a paediatrician training to become a GP.
Mrs Mullany died instantly after being shot in the head, while her husband was taken to hospital before later being flown home on a life-support machine.
Doctors at Morriston Hospital proceeded with brain stem testing but the day after his arrival his life-support machine was switched off.
Following a two-month trial in Antigua, Kaniel Martin and Avie Howell were found guilty of murdering the couple and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Mullany Fund was set up in their memory with the aim of helping young people realise their potential by taking a step closer to pursuing a career in the medical field.
Project manager at the charity, Sarah James, said: “The charity’s objective is to give every young person, regardless of their background, the opportunity to access a career in life sciences by providing the support they need to follow their aspirations.”
PAUL POPHAM FUND
Paul Popham battled kidney failure for more than half of his life but in the words of his daughter, “you wouldn’t have known he was ill”.
From the age of 30 he was undergoing kidney dialysis but in later life he was dealt another blow when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.
In October 2008 Mr Popham, from Swansea, was given just nine months to live and told that his only hope of living longer was to take a drug called Sutent.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence initially refused to fund the £30,000-plus treatment but when Mr Popham’s family began collecting signatures, lobbying politicians and even taking their fight to Downing Street, the Assembly finally made the drug available in January 2009.
It wasn’t until four years after his prognosis that Mr Popham died at the age of 67 in October 2012.
In the following months his family and friends decided to set up the Paul Popham Fund to help other renal patients across Wales.
His daughter Joanne said: “The Paul Popham Fund was set up in memory of my father. He had kidney failure for over half his life but he dealt with it in a positive manner. You wouldn’t have known he was ill. It did not define him.
BELIEVE ORGAN DONOR SUPPORT
It was in the run-up to Christmas that the lives of one young family from Cardiff changed forever.
While the Bates family were returning home from a festive party, the lives of the happy family of four were destroyed in a split-second as a car ploughed into two of them as they crossed a road near Miskin.
Dad Stuart was tragically killed, while seven-year-old son Fraser was left fighting for his life.
He was rushed to a specialist hospital in Bristol for emergency care but sadly died several hours later as his injuries were too severe.
Just over a week after the unimaginable loss, Stuart’s widow Anna Louise made the decision to focus her energy and grief on helping others going through similar heartache.
She set up the charity Believe to offer support and education around organ donation, as her husband and son saved several lives when their organs were donated.
“We set the charity up within a week of the loss of my husband and son,” Anna Louise said.
“I had a situation that you would not wish on anybody. I had had this conversation with my husband just a few weeks before about organ donation and I knew what they would have wanted me to do.
“It became really clear that it was time to talk about this and we wanted to break down the taboo and talk about it.
“Death and grief; it’s a very traumatic time and I wanted to assist and provide support to others.”