A 'wonderful' young medical student who had a 'bright future' ahead of her tragically took her own life ahead of the anniversary of her father's heart breaking suicide. Ava-Jane Der Merwe was pronounced dead at Southport and Ormskirk General Hospital on August 13, 2022, after she sent a final Snapchat message to her friend.
The 21-year-old, who first saw her GP in 2014 when she was just 13 over concerns for her mental health, sadly suffered from a lot of personal grief in the years to come, the ECHO reports. Her father, Peter took his own life at the age of 38 passed away the following year and in 2016, Ava-Jane's little sister Esme died from a rare brain disorder called Rett Syndrome.
Ava Jane's mum, midwife Mary, has been left heartbroken by another tragic loss after previously revealing her financial difficulties while she was off work grieving for her younger daughter and husband. Mary revealed Ava-Jane had been struggling with depression since she was 18 and had been referred to mental health services over the years but would fail to attend follow-up appointments.
