'Love You a Million Times around the World': 8-Year-Old Son's Harrowing Letter to Deceased Mom
A grieving boy touched many hearts when the contents of a letter he penned as a tribute to his deceased mother, whom he shared a remarkable bond with, were revealed: "I'm going to be brave."
Death touches all, but nobody prays ever to have to feel its sting as a child. Unfortunately, little could be done by Reece Dunne when he discovered that his mom had passed on, but he decided he would write her a tribute.
Police found the remains of a body they believed belonged to the missing 29-year-old Ellia Arathoon. Her body was found around the M53 in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, on a Thursday in October 2016. The cops who investigated the case reported that foul play was involved, and a suspect was charged.
[Left] Picture of Ellia Arathoon's son, Reece Dunne;[Right] Picture of the letter written by Reece to his mother | Source: twitter.com/ZoeJournalism || facebook.com/ellia.arathoon.1
The late Ellia had a special bond with her son, and he felt her loss even if he was not told about the exact cause of her death. His father was trying to protect him from the trauma of knowing.
After talking about the "fantastic memories" he had with his mother, the boy wrote a short yet emotional tribute to his mother, Ellia Arathoon.
"To mummy, I love you a million times around the world," the note began. "I wish you didn't die. I remember playing with you, and that made me happy."
Reece stated in his letter that he knows Ellia is now "an angel" who can always see him. But, that didn't stop him from admitting that he was sad about her demise before making a simple declaration. "I feel sad, but I'm going to be brave, love Reece," it read.
Reece's father, John from Ellesmere Port, described his former lover as a unique woman, and he also revealed how much he has been doing to keep the gritty details of his ex's death from their son. John said:
"Ellia used to do everything with him - the bond they had together was just remarkable, really."
According to John, the woman would tell her son it was just them against the world. Such closeness meant that knowing what happened to his mother was a significant loss for him, which John was trying to avoid.
The wise father told Reece that Ellia had become an "angel in heaven," and in the subsequent discussion, Reece showed that he was mature. John said:
"We talked about the different things that he remembers; we both sat down, and what's in that letter is what he said."
News of Ellia's death attracted a lot of tributes from users on social media, and a lot of floral bouquets were left in Ellesmere Port, close to where the cops found her body.
John also revealed that Ellia had touched many hearts, which was proven by the number of people who turned up to release balloons close to where her body was found.
They succeeded in making Reece see the love Ellia had given in her lifetime returned to her, and perhaps, it was enough closure for the little boy. RIP Ellia.