A man who was battling cancer had tea with his mum and "seemed himself" the day before he ended his own life. Marc Talbot, 36, had sat with his mum and then went out to the pub the day before he ingested a fatal combination of drugs, an inquest heard this week. Marc, from Reddish, near Stockport, had sent a "goodbye message" just before he took his own life on April 12 this year.
Marc, who worked in waste management, had been diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia in July 2018, which mum Lynda said was a "massive shock" for her son because he was a "very fit young man" who would go to the gym every day. Despite his diagnosis, Lynda said he was determined to fight it and recover and "still had a smile on his face", the Manchester Evening News reports.
The night before he died, Marc went to the pub and the next day, his family thought he was sleeping - but he was found dead in his room, South Manchester Coroners Court heard on Wednesday, October 12. Police found he had messaged someone "with notice of intent to take his own life".
Marc had been under the care of a haematologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, a cancer treatment centre in Withington and had previously secured a match for a stem cell donor. He had not mentioned anything about the way he was feeling in the days leading up to his death on April 12 and his mum said when they had tea together he had "seemed himself".
Lynda explained how Marc would sleep or lay in bed and watch TV for most of the day and would come down when he was hungry or going out. But on April 12, he wasn't sleeping - and had instead passed away. Paramedics were called to the house after his brother returned home from work and North West Ambulance Service alerted Greater Manchester Police.
Detective Inspector Chris Horsfield, from GMP, told the court that officers arrived at the Bower Street property at around 6.30pm. He explained that officers found no evidence of anything suspicious or any third-party involvement.
Police found empty snap bags in the room, along with medication. They recovered Marc's phone, which included a 'goodbye message' sent at 3.29am on April 12, which was interpreted by GMP as a 'notice of intent to take his own life'.
A toxicology report found excessive levels of cocaine in Marc's system, along with other excessive levels of two painkillers. His medical cause of death was given as combined drug toxicity leading to cardiac arrest.
Lynda described her son as a "strong, young man who would not let anything bring him down", who also loved animals and watching TV. She added: "What he went through, most people his age would have crumbled, but he just carried on and still had a big beaming smile on his face."
Alison Mutch, senior coroner for south Manchester, described Marc as a 'much loved son and brother'. "What a very, very sad and tragic situation to deal with for such a young man," she said.
"It's clear that as a family you are left bereft by his loss, and I appreciate particularly for you Mrs Talbot, to lose a child is just so difficult to deal with." Ms Mutch concluded that Marc's death was suicide.
She added: "It's clear that he had not given any indication to his family that he was living with of how he was feeling at that time. I'm really sorry that he did not reach out to you that night, because it's really clear that as a family you would have been there for him."
In a tribute to Marc, his partner of seven years Stacey Smith said: "Marc will always be the best person in my life. There will never be anyone quite like him. He was kind, hilariously funny and he loved with his whole heart. He had struggled to come to terms with becoming unwell and the side effects from undergoing a stem cell transplant following failed first line treatments for chronic myeloid leukaemia.
"I am devastated to learn the conclusion of the inquest. He was loved by so many people. He always had a smile on his face however his last few photographs on his social media had caused me some concern as it was visible something was wrong.
"The week prior to his death I had suggested for him to get some help to which he replied that he didn’t feel that he needed any help. If he would have indicated to me that he felt that he had to take his own life I would have immediately sought the appropriate help that he clearly needed.
"The stem cell transplant had been a success and other health issues that followed on from the transplant were becoming more manageable. He was really pleased that the consultant was seeing improvements and he was gradually getting better.
"Marc was my best friend and my biggest supporter. His kindness knew no end and his love for his animals was truly heartwarming. He deserved nothing that life had thrown at him and always remained optimistic about the future in spite of it all."
