Mother questions why son took his life

A mother’s worst fear was realized on Wednesday evening when she discovered her son had taken his own life.

Catherine Lawrence got the dreadful news that her 25-year-old son, Tremaine Kadeem Lawrence, had ended his life.

She told Barbados TODAY she had just come out of the shower when her boyfriend delivered the news.

According to the Barbados Police Service, Tremaine’s body was found hanging in the living room of a house in Baycroft New Road, Bridge Road, St Michael.

Fighting to hold back tears, Catherine recounted the moment she saw his body.

“When I saw him hanging from the ceiling I was so shocked. I turned away at first, then I went back and looked at him. I couldn’t believe my eyes. My son was right there. I’m three houses away, he could have talked to me but he did not,” she lamented.

The mother of five said that despite Tremaine being a little “hard ears” the two were extremely close.

“He always tells me, ‘mummy, I love you’. We were close, we were like best friends and if he was going through any trouble from before he could come to me, but I didn’t know that it was over the limit and that it would push him to do this. He did not give me any indication that he was going to do this,” she said.

On reflection, she added that a few days prior, the young man had made amends with family members with whom he had issues.

“He was making apologies to everybody and saying sorry to people,” Catherine added, although insisting that she did know “why he would do something like this”.

Likening Tremaine to the biblical character, Nicodemus, she added: “He was important to us…. He gave us a lot of trouble, but as his mother, I was there for him for all the way and I will always love him up until the day I die, and I believe that I will see him again.”

Catherine told Barbados TODAY she was experiencing mixed emotions as she continued to struggle to process her son’s death: “I still can’t believe. I just don’t know how I feel. I feel angry, I feel sad, disappointed and from my heart, I just feel like I would take a belt and beat him.”

However, she is trying to stay strong.

“I don’t want to break down and cry because I know that would make me sick and give me high blood pressure, but I am trying to be strong in my heart. I am angry and I just want to scream but I trying to compose myself and stay strong.”
kobiebroomes@barbadostoday.bb