Samantha Joan Maritza born 06 April 1989 a beautiful baby girl who we were so blessed to have. She was full of life and laughter gaining a wonderful humour in everything she did. Diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 10 she struggled with anything academic at school, but she excelled at everything creative.

At 15 whilst at high school she had the opportunity to get involved with a mentoring group called ‘Class Act’ this was a week spent at Ingestrie Hall a truly amazing venue with many talented musicians to help her develop confidence in performance and lyric writing. There she was chosen to join up with a wonderful group of lads who formed the band calling themselves ‘Maritza’ which gave Samantha a wonderful high and a passion to achieve with such aspiring musicians and soon to become really good friends.

She then went on the Sutton Coldfield College of Performing Arts and joined another band called ‘China Red’, she was going to college, performing, gigging, her life was full, fun and happy. Although at college she did struggle again academically, with the help of her friends and lecturers she passed and went onto LIPA which is Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, she absolutely loved it. Unfortunately Samantha had to leave University at the age of 19 as she started having fits, which after a week spent at the Walton Neuro Clinic they diagnosed NEAD (Non Epileptic Fits) similar to epilepsy, just as disabling and distressing.

She tried to cope with university but between the fits and her constant battle with dyslexia, Sam was struggling. Her friends called us concerned because she was hiding away and she had taken pills. Her father immediately went to Liverpool to pick her up and bought her home. She felt worthless, useless, she had lost a lot of weight and her wonderful sparkle had disappeared from her eyes. After a while Samantha’s health improved and she enrolled back at the salon, she then started a hairdressing course she started to feel better, but then once more this awful disabling dreadful illness took hold of her and she spiralled back into depression. Samantha attempted to take her life and hoping to get better she admitted herself to the hospital’s mental health unit for treatment. Whilst there she was put on anti-depressants but seemed to get worse rather than improve.

Whilst in the ‘care of the hospital’ Samantha had various attempts to end her life. Samantha had celebrated her 21st birthday only 7 weeks previous, Samantha took her life after being let out of St. Georges Hospital, in Stafford on unescorted leave for 2 hours. Depression is a terrible illness which can have devastating results but with time and the right care and medication you can get better.