The funniest, happiest and kindest person you could ever meet. That's how Alyson Vaughan has described her younger brother Andrew Brady.
Sadly, 35-year-old Andrew, of South Shields, took his own life on Tuesday April 11, after what Alyson says was a long battle with his mental health issues.
He leaves behind his two children Leon, 15, and Kristen, 9, as well as his wider family, who Alyson says he loved dearly and would "give his last" for. Despite the three years between siblings Alyson and Andrew, he was "always by her side", and she is heartbroken by her younger brother's death.
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Alyson said: "He lit up the room with his smile, he was just lush. He was the life and soul of the party."
Passionate about the outdoors, Andrew was a landscape gardener by trade. As well as his family and the outdoors, his other great love, like so many in the North East, was his local football team.
Andrew was a huge Sunderland fan and had been going with dad Kevin since the Roker Park days. More recently, he had become well known at the Stadium of Light for his work on the Unibet stand, where he was "absolutely adored" by his colleagues.
And a minute's applause in the 35th minute of Sunderland vs Huddersfield on Tuesday night turned into a magical moment for Alyson and Kevin when Joe Gelhardt put the Black Cats a goal up.
Alyson said: "Honest to God, me and my dad couldn't believe it was happening. I was gobsmacked and it felt like a message from the heavens.
"The scoreboard flipped onto his picture when he was at Wembley last year for the play-offs and there was well over a minute of applause. The whole stadium was clapping, it was just amazing to see the amount of support from everyone.
"My dad said it was what he needed. It was really, really difficult but beautifully done."
Alyson hopes that by sharing Andrew's story that more people will be encouraged to speak up about their mental health, especially men. She said: "It's absolutely nothing to be afraid of whether you're a man, woman or transgender, mental health is no joke.
"I think men think they've got to act all macho and that's where Andrew went wrong. Even though he told his nearest and dearest, he masked a lot of feelings.
"I would hate for anyone else to have to go through this because it's one thing to have a sibling die, but it's another to know they've taken their own life because they feel like they can't cope anymore. I just wish when Andrew did what he did, that he had rang me and I would have talked him out of it."
Alison has also set up a fundraising page to help her parents with the added stress and financial burden of planning a funeral, which has already surpassed £4,000, four times its original target. If you would like to donate to the fundraising appeal in Andrew Brady's memory, visit this GoFundMe page.
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