Timothy Adam Clark

On the 20 August 1987 I joined the motherhood club.  On 23 February 2006 I joined another club I had no choice in.  My son made a decision that was to change the lives of each member of my family.  Timothy Adam Clark was an exceptional young man.  He was 18 and a half when he made an exceptional decision, to end his life of pain. Tim had been fighting his own private war for some years and we believe that he felt that this was his only option to be free.

Tim was a bright and talented young boy, he had many friends and was actively involved with the scout movement as well as soccer and dancing.  Tim was an ordinary boy doing ordinary things but something got in his way of enjoying life to the full.  Tim was diagnosed with symptoms of ADHD. He did not have all the social skills and found it hard to make friends ( even though when  he went to school so many kids said “Hi Tim”).  There were a lot of changes in Tim’s life, being a child of a sole parent for 6 years then getting a stepfather and 2 new sisters and moving to a new school all within a couple of years.  Sometimes it was a rough ride but we got through it. Then along came puberty and a whole new set of problems, the start of the “demons ‘ that Tim faced. Tim had bipolar but we had been unable to get this diagnosed.   Tim was a very caring and helpful person and he was very loyal to his friends .  He wanted to help them with their problems and usually did no matter what.  When Jenny in his class had a problem at school and got up and left, Tim went with her so she would not be alone and stayed with her to help her through her problem.  When Rosevin had her 16th birthday Tim went to an all girls school to say happy birthday to her.  When Jarryd was having family problems Tim was there to help him.  When Sarah needed someone to talk to Tim was there. Tim loved his friends very much and was fiercely loyal.  Steve was the brother Tim never had and they were the best mates and they were there for each other.  Tim would offer his help to anyone who needed it no matter if he knew them or not.Â

Tim did not want to hurt people so much that he would turn his rage upon himself and punch a wall or other thing so as not to hit out at his friends and family.  Tim would have periods of a great aggression and rage and wanted to harm himself.  These were incredibly scary and frightening, but worse was the battle with the public health system.  trying to get the help Tim needed was worse than the disease.   There were no guarantees for Tim and he knew this so he took matters into his own hands and made a very grown up decision.   Tim just wanted to be free of the pain but he did not know the utter devastation and hurt would leave behind.  The lives of each one of us is better for knowing such an amazing young man.  Tim was a great guy but he was the only one who did not know it. My life changed that day and there is no way I will ever be the person I was again, I am still trying to work out who I am now maybe I will never know but I will always treasure the memories”……—-