Bronwen’s Wish is a Charity in memory of Bronwen Morgan, who passed away in August 2020 by suicide.

 

Bronwen was a 26-year-old Mental Health Nursing student in her second year of studying at Cardiff University - in addition to her first-class honour’s degree in Primary Education which she had graduated in 2015. Bronwen was a bright, beautiful person with the kindest and most caring soul. Her loss has left a huge hole in many people’s lives.
 

Bronwen experienced challenges with her mental health for many years, she tried many different therapeutic interventions and dealt with many different professionals in the field over the years. In the last year of her life, Bronwen experienced a devastating misjustice in her care. She was treated with a blanket approach according to her unconfirmed diagnosis. Bronwen and her family were denied the opportunity to be directly involved in her care and treatment, her wishes and needs were ignored by those who were meant to be supporting her.

 

After many months of pain and trauma, Bronwen was told by her care team that if she were to find herself in a crisis in the future, one whereby the police would respond to – that the police should arrest her under a 'community protection notice'. This was considered by health to be the use of non "psychiatric avenues" notice as a sanction to modify her behaviour.

 

Despite the police disagreeing with this approach suggested by her psychiatric team, her care team still deemed this to be the most appropriate cause of action in a future crisis. A vulnerable, fragile, and helpless young woman is being criminalised and potentially imprisoned for her emotional distress. Any hope for her future in nursing was shattered by the thought that if she were to reach crisis point again, she could potentially attain a criminal record.

 

This was the final straw for Bronwen, she ended her life just days after this decision was made.

​

 

Bronwen's Background

​

Bronwen Grace Morgan was born in the London Borough of Hillingdon on 1st September 1993. Bron was our first baby, the baby that showed us what parenthood and true unconditional love really was. She was the most beautiful little girl with the blondest of hair and the darkest brown sparkling eyes. She grew up to be a caring and supportive young woman who would light up every room she entered.
 

Bron was the eldest of three sisters and she proved herself to be the best big sister to Tesni and Cerys. She was the best “go-to” and always had time for her young sisters, even when they were at their most annoying, as little sisters often are. She showed patience, kindness and understanding to everyone from an early age. Always aware of others feelings and needs, she would be the first to offer support and help whenever she saw injustice or hurt.

Bron’s childhood was very active, she swam for Cardiff from the age of 8. Swimming before and after school most days, coupled with further training and galas on the weekends. This showed Bron’s competitiveness and commitment to her sport where she won lots of medals and trophies over the years. Alongside this, she played the piano, netball and was an active Girl Guide and later returned to volunteer with Guides supporting a little girl with autism who needed 1:1 support. She was still doing this when the pandemic struck.

Bron loved working with children and had a natural way of connecting with them. She treasured working with children with challenging needs and behaviours and was brilliant at it. Following on from her 1st Class Hons degree in Primary Education, Bron worked in the Behavioral Unit at her old Primary School where she earned the nickname of “Bomb-Proof Bron” since she was always calm and in control of whatever came her way. (She went on to use that nickname during an amateur boxing tournament to raise money for charity) Bron had an innate ability to befriend people and make a difference in their lives.

It was during this time that Bron’s mental health began to decline. She developed an eating disorder and suffered from bouts of anxiety and depression. With little help available, this triggered a decision to study mental health nursing with the aim of trying to make a difference. She was outstanding in her placements, loved by patients and staff as well as receiving letters of commendation from several tutors. She had so much to offer and would have made a big difference in so many people’s lives.

She was bursting with life and had energy abound, she was incredibly organised and used her time wisely. She had a cheeky sense of humour and loved organising games and family events, she loved to spend time with her close friends and family, always baking delicious cakes for special events. Bronwen loved family holidays and still holidayed with us in the summer and skiing in the winter until the Pandemic prevented us from being able to go. When skiing, she would be the first on the lifts in the morning to catch the fresh snow and be there until the last lift of the day. She loved her skiing. We treasure these memories.

Bron was a creature of habit and loved her routines. When the pandemic hit, the usual activities that Bron needed to manage her mental health disappeared virtually overnight. Face to face Uni was cancelled, her placements were cancelled, the gym was closed and in addition, her support from her mental health team was massively reduced with no group sessions and individual sessions. Bronwen began to feel helpless and isolated which meant her mental health spiralled out of control and left her in a place that she felt she could not find a way back from. She had lost all hope. Sadly, she made the devastating decision to take her life on Thursday 27th August 2020, aged 26.

 

That dreadful word “suicide” and Bronwen just don’t belong together in any reference. This was something that happened to other families but not this time ... it happened to us and it's as real as it gets.

What we have found following our loss is the impact that Bronwen had made on so many lives and the effect her loss would have on so many people. Bron was unaware of how much she was loved by so many and the positive impact she made on so many lives. The outpouring of love and support following her loss was overwhelming and took us all by surprise. We just wish she knew how special and loved she was. We miss you so much our Beautiful Bronny.

Since Bronny is not here to make a difference, we felt it was important to take the mantle and continue to try and make some change within the mental health arena, specifically towards children and young people. “BRONWEN’S W;SH” has been set up to provide Wellbeing Dens or Pods within schools. These unique pods will be used solely for mindfulness, wellbeing, and mental health welfare when a child is suffering from some anxiety, crisis or being off baseline when in school. These outdoor buildings will be away from the main noise and bustle of the school and provide a quiet place to talk and feel comforted.

You can read more about our charity on this site. Thank you for your time.