A mum of two who lost one of her sons in a tragic incident 10 years ago has said she will 'never get over' losing her child.
Leah Hunt, from the Wirral, lost her 15-year-old son Sam when he fell into the sea after being hit by a large wave on a family holiday in Swansea. He was with his brother Lewis, 21 at the time, who bravely fought to rescue Sam from the water.
Sadly, Sam was pronounced dead at the hospital after the brothers were winched out of the water by teams from the RNLI. Leah, who works for the British Transport Police, told the ECHO that she is forever grateful to the RNLI for saving her Lewis, and to Lewis for being there so 'Sam wasn't alone' in his final moments.
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She said: "It was three minutes past midnight when the police knocked at my door, so being told that we'd lost Sam, I was just numb. Going through what we went through, losing Sam, I'll never get over it. You'll never get over losing a child.
"I've spoken to a couple of crew members over the years and I know the guys who were on the boat that night who saved Lewis. They actually said to me 'we're really sorry we couldn't save Sam', but I just hugged them and said 'yes but you saved me', and that's what they need to realise.
"They saved Lewis and they couldn't save Sam, he was tiny, he was five foot and five stone soaking wet. And I think Lewis, being in the navy at the time, his strength kept him going, and he keeps me going now.
"He suffers from PTSD now, but he keeps himself busy with his three kids. I don't think you can get much busier than that.
"People say to me how terrible it is what I've gone through, but I know Lewis went through worse than me. I'm only grateful that both my boys were together, that Sam wasn't alone, and that's what I keep saying to Lewis- that if he wasn't there I can't even imagine what it would've been like."
Leah is now grandmother to Lewis' three children, and still working. But, alongside her job with the police she also raises money and awareness for the charity who saved her boy and did the best they could to save his brother.
Next month, on May 1, she is organising a memorial day in Rock Ferry, Wirral for Sam to both keep his memory alive and to raise money that may help save the children of others in the future. She will also be taking part in a coastal walk on 22 May that is open to the public who wish to help raise money for the RNLI.
She said "On the 10th anniversary of his passing - it’s more important to me than ever to see his legacy live on in such a positive way. I would do anything for the RNLI and the walk is just one of the ways I want to say thank you
"You take it for granted, people think it's just another emergency service. Sometimes I believe it's probably a thankless task until they do something like what they've done for me.
"We've got the emergency services, and I'm one of them- I'm getting paid to do my job to the best of my abilities, but these guys they just do it, and if I can get 1 person to walk 1 miles for 1 pound then job done."
Andy Brown, who has volunteered for the RNLI in West Kirby for 20 years, holding almost every position available in the charity, spoke about his job and what fundraising means for their ability to save lives. He said: "It's an unusual feeling, you can be in work in a Teams meeting as I often am, and suddenly you're out of the door playing a part in pulling someone out of the water, seeing the look in their eye and passing them to the ambulance crews and in the blink of an eye you're back in the meeting, trying to get on with your day job.
"The fundraising couldn't be more important , if you look at where we've come as a lifeboat from cork lifejackets and rowing boats to all weather lifeboats that self-ride, to hover crafts, to jet skis- the equipment we have is second to none. The training we get from the RNLI is fantastic.
"They take people who haven't particularly got a maritime background, and they take them from there and equip them to help save lives at sea.
"We always say that it's well and good to send a team out on a lifeboat to save a life but it starts with somebody walking a mayday mile like Leah is at the moment, or fundraising with a cake sale- whatever it may be, it's that money that's used for equipment that gives us the opportunity to save those lives.'
If you wish to donate or simply find out more about Leah's money raising efforts to help the RNLI save lives, you can find out more at RNLI.org/SupportMayday. Or if you would like to support Leah at the the memorial day for Sam, you can find more information at rnli.enthuse.com/pf/wirral-coastal-walk.
