She was a kind, bright and funny little girl. Growing up, Charlotte Franklin adored the outdoors and was at her happiest when swimming, rowing or horse riding.
But the move up to secondary school was a challenge, and the introduction of iPads, mobile phones, instant messaging and social media had a huge impact on sensitive Charlotte. She struggled socially and found relationships with her peers difficult.
Then, in 2014, a spiteful comment from a classmate altered everything and Charlotte, who was already experiencing anxiety and depression, started thinking more about her face and body. The bullying worsened, and so did her mental health.
Charlotte was very good at hiding her feelings, mum Lisa, 55, said, and no one realised that she was struggling so much. An obsessiveness with cleaning, food, and routine began.
Charlotte became very obsessed with how she looked and that year she was diagnosed with body dysmorphia and OCD. They left their beloved home in Cornwall and moved to London for better support.
In 2015, Charlotte told her mum she didn’t want to return to school and called on support from CAMHS during this time after developing a new healthy structure, Charlotte was homeschooled and her mental health improved.
However, as GCSEs approached and her former school offered online learning to support her with her exams, Charlotte’s now compulsive need for routine was affected and again Charlotte’s mental health began to decline.
Yoga teacher Lisa said: "Between the ages of 15 and 19, Charlotte spent years in and out of psychiatric hospitals which was a pretty awful time of her life. She was never well enough to fully come out.
"Charlotte even sat her GCSEs in hospital, which despite all the obstacles, she passed. On occasions when Charlotte would leave the hospital, she was so high risk we had to sleep in her room.
"We would all watch over her day and night. We couldn’t leave her alone. It was so difficult for her to watch her school friends living normal lives, picking their prom dresses and socialising. She never got to experience what most teenagers do.
"No one knows to this day what we went through as a family and what Charlotte went through with her illnesses and her thoughts."
Heartbreakingly, on her 18th birthday, Charlotte was transferred to an adult ward. She never recovered from the trauma she experienced during this period and Charlotte took her life in September 2019.
Lisa said: "Our life changed forever. Charlotte was severely ill for many years but nothing prepares you for the loss of your child to suicide. I was sent into a dark vortex of grief. We were dealing with her loss, the inquest and then we went into Covid. It was a brutal time.
"For several months, maybe even years, it was so difficult to leave the house. But I had to keep going; I had to walk the dogs and pick my daughter up from school.
"Then in the summer of 2022, my son Tom had a serious motorbike accident. That sent me once again into a dark place. I struggled to comprehend the possibility of losing another child."
Fortunately, Tom recovered, and with the support of her children, friends and family, Lisa waded through her grief. Deciding that she needed to improve her health so she could support her children, Lisa decided to start walking the 630 mile route of the South West Coastal Path in tribute to her daughter, who loved nature, the sea and was a brilliant gig rower.
Lisa said: "I wish we knew more about the psychological and physical impact of grief and the menopause. When I learned about this, I became determined to do this walk. To get healthy, to stop smoking and to process not only the loss of Charlotte but also the traumatic years of her illnesses.
"Those initial years after losing her, my head was all over the place. I met people who lost people to similar situations, but everyone deals with it in different ways. For some people, they need to get out there straight away and talk about it, but for me, I couldn’t trust myself on what I could have said, and how I could have made a difference. It’s been a long journey, and it still will be, always.
"The walk is to process my grief, Charlotte’s illness, and our loss. While Charlotte was ill, my favourite place became my enemy. Cornwall is where Charlotte became ill. It’s where our lives changed and that is something I want to revisit and work through."
The walk will raise money for charities, both Papyrus a charity that aims to prevent young suicide, and the South West Coast Path Association, and it will take Lisa back to notable locations from both her own and Charlotte’s life, including a visit to the seaside town in far South West Cornwall where Lisa has only revisited once since Charlotte’s death.
"The walk has changed my life forever and I still have 330 miles to go. I fought long and hard for Charlotte, most of her life and to get the treatment she needed was a battle. Charlotte was just the loveliest, most wonderful, inquisitive, vivacious little girl. She had this wicked, funny, sense of humour that we all miss.
"Since her death, I battle the loss of Charlotte every day and some days it's very hard to live without her but I'm lucky; I have an incredibly supportive husband and two amazing children. Charlotte would be so proud of her siblings."
Papyrus provides 24-hour support for those struggling with thoughts of suicide. You can call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email [email protected].
