When Tim was born in 1968, Julie was a young mother of nineteen. Their relationship was very close, "As he grew up, we were like brother and sister." At eleven, Tim was sent to baording school, "I regret that," says Julie, slowly, "Your relationship with a child is never the same. You lose that closeness you have when you live as a family."

Until the age of thirty-nine, both Julie and her husband were heavily involved in their respective careers. In her late thirties, Julie wanted more children and her husband agreed. At this time, Tim was away at university living his own life. Their decision wasn't discussed with him but his reaction when he discovered his mother was expecting a child was amusment, surprise, and he didn't appear to be unhappy with the thought. "He was a godfather, he loved his little sister, and was very much part of things when he came home."

Two years later the Pilsworths had a second daughter. By this time Tim was working as a doctor in North Wales, and running into relationship problems, "I think he was lonely. Looking back now, we perhaps had created a second family he didn't feel part of," says Julie. "We tried to include him, but he had withdrawn and didn't talk to us about how he felt. We knew very little about his life. I think he was very unhappy."

During this period, Tim seldom came home, but was kind and loving to his sisters when he visited his family. The depths of Tim's unhappiness came to light when he returned home to help his father who was unable to work. Tim's girlfriend had decided not to marry him, and the relationship ended. He lived at home for two months before he died.

Julie continues, "The day before Tim died, I was with a counsellor because I was very worried that he might be suicidal. It was the first time I'd used that word. It was the day he died."