A mother whose 30-year-old son took his own life has taken on the responsibility of carrying the baton during the concluding segment of a national initiative aimed at promoting mental health awareness.
Poppy Hocken, hailing from Bath, tragically lost her eldest son, Alex, in 2016 while he was pursuing a nursing career in Bristol.
She participated in a nationwide campaign known as Baton of Hope, which focuses on increasing awareness of suicide among youth in the UK. Earlier this month, she had the honor of carrying the baton for a portion of its final journey through London, after it had already traversed the country.
“I’m filled with emotion, but also an immense sense of pride. This isn’t just about raising awareness; it’s for my family and for Alex, who we hold dear in our hearts and will miss endlessly,” Ms. Hocken expressed.
The Baton of Hope initiative aims to shed light on suicide among young individuals while enhancing guidance, training, and understanding surrounding this critical issue.
This tour has seen a specially designed baton being carried across the nation by those affected by suicide, with Ms. Hocken being one of the final participants during its last leg in London.
“The baton represents mental health and wellbeing,” stated Mike McArthy, co-founder of Baton of Hope.
“We hope it sends a message to individuals facing dark times for any reason, showing them that there are many who care and want to offer support and a listening ear,” he elaborated.
“There’s a misconception that vulnerability is a weakness, when in fact it isn’t. We need to change this mindset so that people feel safe expressing their emotional struggles.”
Ms. Hocken described her son Alex as “extraordinarily unique” and someone who “always followed his own path.”
“He was an incredibly kind young man. I know it’s common to say such things when you lose a child, but he truly was,” she reflected.
Alex had previously faced mental health challenges, and Ms. Hocken noted that it wasn’t always easy to recognize when he was in distress.
“We often weren’t aware because, being the eldest son, he didn’t always communicate how he felt,” she explained.
On the night of Alex’s passing, she received a call from the police while en route to the hospital.
“I asked, ‘Are you trying to tell me my son has died?’ And that was the moment it hit me,” she recalled.
“I still experience flashbacks of sitting with Alex in the emergency room and seeing him in the chapel of rest. Those memories linger.”
Ms. Hocken hopes that her involvement in the Baton of Hope relay will contribute to raising awareness and inspire others to connect with young people and understand their experiences.
“I want people to engage with young individuals and check in on how they’re coping, simply by asking them about their feelings and acknowledging that it is a possibility,” she emphasized.
“It’s a challenging topic to discuss, I understand that, but it’s crucial for people to be aware,” she concluded.
