Kindhearted sister raises funds in memory of late brother

A grieving sister has raised more than £10,700 in a heartfelt tribute to her brother who tragically took his own life.

Zoe Travis, of Shaw, regularly hosts fundraising events to raise funds in memory of her older brother Dominic, who sadly died of suicide 10 years ago when he was just 18 years old. 

The former Royton and Crompton student suffered from psychosis and was placed in a ward at the Royal Oldham Hospital, where he felt extremely isolated. 

Zoe (27), who is training in cardiac physiology at Tameside Hospital, and her mother Diane, a volunteer at the British Red Cross Shop in Royton, recalled the moment they noticed a shift in his behaviour. 

They said: “He got difficult at the age of 13 and started self-harming. By the age of 14, his behaviour changed drastically. He went quiet and started spending more time in his room. 

“He was referred to the home treatment team at the Royal Oldham Hospital, but he kept escaping as he could not cope with it. He kept saying it was like a prison and that he wanted to kill himself.  

“He was let out for a week and then went to supported accommodation. He came home and he was asking lots of questions about the afterlife which I found quite disturbing.” 

Zoe last saw her brother a few days before he died and remembers giving him a long hug. She explained: “I can remember not wanting to let go of him, but I didn’t know it would be for the last time.” 

Pictured above: Dominic Travis.

Dominic was later sectioned by the Home Treatment Team, which he could no longer bear, and escaped to the derelict Hartford Mill in Chadderton where he was found dead on May 18, 2015, by Year 7 students who were playing in the area. 

Zoe described the heart-wrenching moment the police knocked on the door. She said: “The police came and told us of the bad news. I was in complete shock. I became isolated and did not want to go out after that, and I lost many friends as they could not understand why I didn’t want to go out anymore. 

“They couldn’t understand what I was going through. I suppose they were too young to understand.” 

Pictured above: Zoe wiith her brother Dominic.

She shared heartwarming memories of her brother, adding: “He was a nightmare, but we were a typical brother and sister.  

“He was very loving towards me. He was very intelligent. If he played football, I wanted to play it and if he played cricket, I wanted to play with him. He loved the Xbox.” 

Ever since the loss of her brother, Zoe has been running charity events which have raised thousands of pounds for various causes. 

Zoe has also participated in the London Marathon and bravely attempted a sky dive, all in memory of her late brother.  

A recent rounders rally, attended by over 200 people at Shaw Cricket Club, raised more than £2,300 for the special cause Papyrus, Prevention of Young Suicide. 

Zoe added: “I have taken part in every 10K Manchester Marathons and for the recent rounders rally, we made trophies to hand over to all the winners and everybody was really happy.  

“They were all commenting on how proud they were of me, which made me very emotional.” 

Anyone wishing to make a donation to Zoe's special cause can do so by clicking on http://www.justgiving.com/page/zoetravis6