I was on the phone to my happy-go-lucky lad then moments later he threw himself under a tram – his words still haunt me
AS SHE ended the call from her son, Kathy Ingham was suddenly overcome with a feeling of dread.
Kyle, 21, had called her from the station platform, before telling her he had to go because his tram had arrived.
It was a normal goodnight call, but instinctively, Kathy felt something was terribly wrong.
Hearing sirens racing down her street, she ran out, in her pyjamas, and drove to the nearest tram stop.
When she arrived, her worst fears were confirmed and police told her Kyle, her only son, had jumped in front of the tram in an attempt to take his life.
Kathy says: “We had no idea that Kyle was suicidal. He called and said: ‘I love you but I have to go. Here is my tram.’
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“He ended the call, and I thought he meant he was getting on the tram – but he jumped in front of it.
“Then I had a bad feeling for some reason and when I heard sirens I ran out in my pyjamas and followed the police to the scene. Kyle was so badly injured he was not expected to survive.”
But, incredibly, he has survived, and Kathy is speaking out in an attempt to save other lives.
Kyle, from Oldham, became depressed after the death of the family’s dog. He remembers nothing of his suicide attempt and he assumes instead he was in a car crash.
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Amazingly, after a month in a coma and four months in hospital, Kyle is now recovering well, talking, feeding himself, and learning to walk. His family believe his 6’5” frame helped him to withstand the impact of the crash.
“We are speaking out now to raise awareness of the need for young men to talk about their problems,” Kathy says.
“As he recovers, Kyle will receive the help he needs to make sure he does not feel like that again.
“For his birthday later this month we are taking his dog to hospital to visit him for the first time since it happened, and it will be a special moment.”
Kyle is the youngest of four children and the only son for Kathy and her husband Mark.
Kathy says: “He was spoiled rotten by his big sisters when he was small, he was a smiley boy, really happy go lucky.
“He enjoyed playing cricket with his dad and his nickname amongst the players was ‘little nugget’ which stuck all the way through.
“Kyle loved dogs and was devoted to our family pets.”
After school, Kyle continued to play cricket and worked as a window cleaner.
Kathy, 52, says: “He had knockbacks in life like anyone but he coped.
“One night when he was really drunk he told me he had voices in his head but the next day he laughed it off and I thought he’d just had too much to drink.”
In January 2022, on Kathy’s birthday, their dog, Oxy, had to be put down following an illness.
Kathy says: “We were heartbroken, and Kyle took it very badly.
“He really struggled without her and I took him to the GP, over summer 2024, to ask for help. We hoped he had been referred for support but it never came through.”
For his 21st birthday, Kathy and Mark bought Kyle a new dog, Kimchi.
Kathy says: “He loved his new dog, and he seemed so much better. I really thought he was improving.”
But in October last year, on a night out, Kyle threw himself in front of a tram.
Kathy says: “Kyle rang me at 11pm and said: ‘I love you, I love Dad, I love my dog. I have to go my tram is here.’
“I thought he was getting on the tram but then I suddenly went cold. I had a mother’s instinct there was something wrong.
“Kyle’s heart had stopped beating and the paramedics worked on him for 2 hours, performing surgery at the scene, until he was stable enough to move.”
The family was warned Kyle was unlikely to survive and he underwent several surgeries for massive head and chest injuries and fractures to his collarbone, pelvis, left hip, knee and arm.
He was in a coma for four weeks and woke only when players from his beloved Oldham Athletic FC visited.
Kathy says: “It was like a miracle.
“The team came to see him and as they spoke he opened his eyes and has made amazing progress since.
“He can now feed himself and he can stand with a frame.
“He keeps making jokes. He has no idea that he tried to take his life – he thinks he was in a road accident – we will have to talk to him about that when the time is right.
We are speaking out now to raise awareness of the need for young men to talk about their problems
Kathy Ingham
“For now, I am just so grateful he is alive. I spend every day at the hospital with him. I just want him home.
“I keep buying dog toys which Kyle has for a few days and then we take it home for his dog, so he has the scent.
“For Kyle’s birthday, we’re planning on taking Kimchi to the hospital which will be the first time they have seen each other since it happened.”
Kyle is due to be moved soon to a rehab centre near the family home in Oldham.
His family hope to have him home by the end of the year and are raising money to have their back garden flagged for Kyle’s wheelchair.
They would also love to hear from anyone who can help them with the work.
Kathy is speaking out also to raise awareness of men’s mental health.
She says: “It’s so important for young men to speak out.
“Even now, it’s so hard for some men to admit they have a problem.
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“But talking saves lives and in Kyle’s name, that’s what we plan to do.”
Kathy has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise awareness of mental illness in men, you can donate
