ADAM CLARKE 30.10.91 – 30.5.11

I am Lauren Carvalho and mum to Adam, Harry and Kristy.

On may 30th 2011, my eldest son Adam, aged 19 ½ years chose to leave this world.

Adam was at the centre of so many peoples lives, as well as us and his father Ray, step-mum Julia and her children Tom, Lauren and Sophie. His beautiful girlfriend Emma, and so many groups of friends too, both in Sussex and Hertfordshire. He was referred to as ‘the voice’ of the group, the ring-leader and the party animal, and has therefore left such a huge void to so many. He was so loved.

Adam lived life to the full and seemed to have packed so much into his 19 ½ years, though I wish every day that there could have been so much more. Adam had a tattoo on his arm of the words ‘CARPE DIEM’ which means ‘SEIZE THE DAY’ and I believe that he really lived this. Many of his friends and family now also have the same tattoo in memory of Adam.

Adams favorite number was 5 and his favorite colour was red, so at his funeral we had quite simply 5 red Gerberas on his coffin. Many people however kindly gave us money towards finding a charity that we could somehow help. Also my son Harry played in a charity football match on Christmas Eve 2011, (which he and Adam had played in the previous year), and the family and friends who organize it said that they would like the money to go to Adams chosen charity.

So we started to look for a charity that we would like to help. This is when we found ‘You Raise Me Up’ and we knew that this was the right one. What we hadn’t realized was what an impact this would have on us as a family. We met with Jane and Fraser and their son Ollie Brooks, and soon became friends, realizing that we could all help each other. Whether it’s chatting over a coffee or something stronger! and getting involved in fund raising events, what has helped us more than anything is being able to share our lives now with people who know what we are going through.

Our world changed when Adam left, but I feel certain that he would want us to carry on ‘seizing the day’ and making it count whenever we can.

Being a part of ‘You Raise Me Up’, and being able to help others who experience the same devastation has now become an important part of our lives. I know Adam will be proud of us all.

CARPE