Rebekah Commane talks to Avril Flavin on the death of her brother through suicide
A LIMERICK woman who lost her brother to suicide has spoken out in an effort to highlight the importance of facilities like Pieta House. Avril Flavin, from Ballinacurra Gardens, lost her brother Colin to suicide in August 2010 and said there were no signs that he was considering taking his own life. “He went to work 9 to 5, he was interested in racing and rugby at the weekends and had a great group of friends around him,” Avril told the Limerick Post in a candid interview.
“On Monday, August 23, he left for work at the usual time of about 6.30am to get the bus to Shannon; he was living at home with my parents, having returned from Dublin for a couple of years and my dad heard him go out that morning”.
The family presumed Colin, 35, was with friends when he didn’t return home that evening, but by midnight they started to worry.
“We rang his phone every hour for a week but couldn’t get through.
“I got into his emails by guessing his password and discovered that he had booked a one-way flight to Stansted from Dublin.
“If I hadn’t been able to find that out we could have still been looking in Shannon or Limerick”.
Avril and her family reported Colin missing to Roxboro gardaí, but as he had gone to London of his own free will their hands were tied.
A week after he left for London, Colin’s body was spotted floating in the River Thames by a passer-by who reported it to the river police
“English police made contact with Roxboro that evening but there were many checks to be made before it could be determined if the body was Colin’s.
“There was no point us going over as we weren’t allowed to see the body, which had been in the water for some time”.
Eventually Avril was able to identify her brother by his clothing and unusual glasses he had in his pocket.
It was almost a month after Colin’s body was found before he was allowed to brought home for his funeral.
“The coroner said it would have to be a closed coffin and if I had seen him, I might have had some closure.
“Thompson’s undertakers were a huge support to us, as were friends and neighbours who kept us going with meals as we would forget to eat.
“It felt like the whole thing was happening to someone else when you have so many things to organise with booking flights and organising the funeral.
“It was only when the mayhem calmed down that it really began to sink in”.
Avril put a lot of thought into speaking publicly about her experience but did so in an effort to help others.
“The service that Pieta House offers is fantastic, in a relaxed environment and it’s totally confidential.
“They also offer support to families who have lost loved ones or supporting a member who is going through a hard time”.
Avril is chair of the Pieta House Darkness Into Light committee, a run which will take place on Saturday morning May 12 at 4am, with proceeds going towards the suicide and self-crisis centre.
