Devastating True life
I suddenly found myself wanting to continue my daughter’s legacy after tragedy struck…
Claire Carmalt, 53, from Hertfordshire
Settling down with a cuppa for the evening, I was startled by my phone. As I sat next to my husband Mike, 57, I knew what that sound meant.
‘It’s another Tory update,’ I said. It was another text from my daughter Tory, then 20, who was at the University of Plymouth.
She was dressed in her blue scrubs – as a medicine student, she was currently on placement.
Despite living five hours away, Tory and I were always chatting.
Every day, we would either text, call or FaceTime.
‘Mum, what do you think of my outfit?’ Tory would say, giving me a twirl in her new night-out dress.
‘You look beautiful,’ I told her. And she was – inside and out. Being the best big sister to Rosie, 18, Tory always picked her up after a bad day, watching Harry Potter together or jumping into her blue Ford KA for a day out.
She dreamed of being a doctor. On work experience at a care home, Tory came home beaming after painting the lady’s nails.
When she was 15, she got a part-time job at a pharmacy, too.
‘I’m going to be back late,’ she’d ring me. ‘I have another prescription to drop off.’
Even after her shift, she’d deliver the last prescriptions herself.
Accepted to study medicine at the University of Plymouth in 2020, it came as no surprise.
Moving her into student halls, Tory was buzzing.
But when it came to waving her goodbye, I burst into tears.
‘Oh Mum!’ Tory exclaimed. ‘The only time I’ve seen you cry is when the cat died.’
I couldn’t help but giggle. Heading home, the house was so quiet without her.
But Tory came home whenever she could.
And if not, she was always on the other end of the line.
I loved hearing about Tory’s life in Plymouth, her friends and her boyfriend Eddie, who she also lived with.
Tory was always organised, studying hard for her exams.
Although I always knew she’d pass, she used to get anxious.
Her third year of uni, in October 2022, was no different.
‘I’m feeling really stressed,’ Tory called me. ‘My exam results come out next week.’
But reassuring her that she tried her best seemed to calm her down.
I feel so much better, thanks Mum, Tory text after our call.
Only, the next day, Tory rang me, feeling out of sorts.
She felt breathless and had a stomach ache.
Urging her to get checked by her GP, Tory did exactly that. The doctor confirmed it was a side effect of her feeling stressed.
‘See, nothing to worry about,’ I reassured her.
And soon, things were on the up.
Calling me one day, T
