My name is Courtney Lee. I’m a mother of two beautiful daughters, Ollie and Brooklynn.
On 6 October 2024, my eldest daughter, Ollie, died by suicide, She was just 14 years old.
That sentence is one I never imagined I would have to write, let alone repeat publicly. But before I tell you about Ollie’s Law or my podcast, *A Story of Grief*, I want to tell you about the girl behind them both.
Because Ollie was so much more than the circumstances of her death.
She was funny, mischievous, intelligent, compassionate and creative.She loved anime, Japanese culture, cats and anything cyan. She had a brilliant sense of humour and an ability to make people laugh when they least expected it.
She was a prankster. She was cheeky. She was wonderfully herself.
She was my daughter, and I was incredibly proud to be her mum.
Ollie had her own dreams, interests, friendships and personality. She deserved the opportunity to grow up, discover who she wanted to become and experience everything life had waiting for her. Instead, I am left wondering about the person she would have become.
The bullying and the fight to protect my daughter.
Before Ollie’s death, she had experienced years of sustained bullying, both inside and outside school.
This included verbal bullying, physical incidents and online abuse.
As her mother, I tried to protect her.I raised concerns, sought help and did what I believed was necessary to keep my daughter safe.
But despite those efforts, the bullying continued.
I watched the impact it had on her, and I experienced the helplessness of being a parent who knew her child was suffering but couldn’t make that suffering stop.
Losing Ollie changed absolutely everything.
There are no words that can adequately describe finding out that your child has died, particularly when you have spent so long trying to protect them.
But alongside the grief came questions.
Questions about what happened, what could have been done differently, and whether the systems responsible for safeguarding children were doing enough.
Those questions became even more important during Ollie’s inquest.
The inquest and the beginnings of Ollie’s Law
In May 2026, Ollie’s three-day inquest concluded.
The proceedings examined serious concerns surrounding the support and safeguarding she had received, including failures relating to her special educational needs and disabilities.
The coroner issued a Prevention of Future Deaths report, requiring relevant organisations to respond to concerns about the risk of similar deaths occurring in the future.
For me, the inquest was about more than understanding what happened to Ollie.
It was about making sure lessons were learned.
Because my daughter cannot be brought back. But there are children sitting in classrooms today who are frightened to attend school, who are experiencing bullying, and whose parents are desperately trying to get somebody to listen.
Those children deserve protection.
That is why I began campaigning for what is now known as “Ollie’s Law”
The campaign was originally called Willow’s Law, before I changed the name to honour the name my daughter had chosen for herself: Ollie.
Ollie’s Law is a proposed set of reforms intended to strengthen the way bullying is identified, reported, investigated and addressed.
My proposals include clearer legal responsibilities for schools, stronger safeguarding procedures, greater parental involvement, improved access to mental health support, additional protection for children with SEND, and more meaningful accountability when bullying is not adequately addressed.
I also want parents to be protected from punishment when they are keeping their children away from school because of genuine bullying and safeguarding concern.
I believe children should not have to reach a crisis point before adults take their suffering seriously.
In June 2026, I attended a meeting in Parliament where I presented 16 points relating to the changes I believe are needed.
I was also invited to contribute my experiences and ideas to ongoing work around bullying policy.
That was an important moment for me.
I had gone from being a mother desperately trying to protect her daughter to a bereaved mother sitting in Parliament, asking decision-makers to help protect other people’s children.
But Ollie’s Law is not yet legislation.
It is a campaign for change, and I intend to continue working towards that change.
I cannot change what happened to Ollie.
But I can fight for a future in which another parent might not have to experience what I have.
Why I created A Story of Grief
Alongside campaigning for Ollie’s Law, I created my podcast on YouTube called “A Story of Grief”
The podcast came from something deeply personal.
After Ollie died, I discovered how lonely grief can be.
People often see grief through the immediate aftermath of a death: the funeral, the flowers, the condolences and the first few weeks when everybody knows something terrible has happened.
But grief doesn’t end when the funeral is over. It doesn’t disappear when the sympathy cards stop arriving, And it certainly doesn’t follow a convenient timetable.
There are days when I am angry. Days when I laugh, Days when I feel guilty for laughing, Days when ordinary things, such as washing clothes or walking into a bedroom, remind me of everything I have lost.
There are moments when I want to talk about Ollie constantly, and others when looking at a photograph feels almost unbearable. I wanted to create something that explored those experiences without pretending grief was tidy, predictable or always socially acceptable.
“A Story of Grief” is not about telling people how they should grieve. It is about giving people the ability to acknowledge how they actually feel and how grief doesn’t follow a strict set of rules or even standards.
Through the podcast, I talk openly about losing Ollie, the impact of trauma, anger, guilt, memories, humour, the inquest and the realities of continuing to live after losing a child.
Some episodes are incredibly emotional. Others contain laughter and dark humour. Because that is grief, too. I can laugh at something ridiculous and still miss my daughter desperately. I can enjoy a moment with my family without loving Ollie any less. And I can be angry about what happened while continuing to love and honour the person she was.
I also wanted other bereaved parents, and anyone experiencing loss, to know they are not alone in feelings they may be frightened to admit out loud. Grief does not need to be made comfortable for other people to be valid.
Becoming a mother again while grieving Ollie
In August 2026, I welcomed my youngest daughter, whose name I will keep private. Her arrival brought love and happiness into our family, but my pregnancy was also one of the most emotionally complicated experiences of my life. I was preparing to welcome a new baby while grieving the daughter I had lost. I was excited to meet my baby but I was also terrified of losing another child. Throughout my pregnancy, I struggled with fear, anxiety and the emotional impact of Ollie’s absence.
There were moments when I imagined the relationship Ollie and her sister might have had. There were also moments when I worried about whether I would cope with caring for a newborn while carrying so much grief.
I experienced situations during pregnancy and childbirth where I felt my concerns were not being properly heard. That experience reinforced something I had already learned through my fight for Ollie. Listening to someone can make an enormous difference. Particularly when that person is frightened and asking for help.
The second season of “A Story of Grief”begins with an episode titled “When New Life Meets Unbearable Loss”
It explores pregnancy after child loss, the fear of losing another child, difficult medical experiences, public judgement and the reality of loving two daughters when only one is physically here.
My youngest daughter has brought enormous love into my life. But she has not replaced Ollie. She never could, and she was never meant to. Which is an assumption from others I have received. Which brings me to another point, even grieving parents/people can be bullied through their grief.
Speaking out despite the judgement
Sharing my story publicly has not always been easy. I have received cruel comments, including people blaming me for Ollie’s experiences of bullying because she was part of the Pride community.
In July 2026, I spoke at Barnsley Pride, where Ollie was honoured with a minute’s silence. It was an opportunity to remember my daughter and celebrate a community that mattered to her. Unfortunately, some of the public reaction was deeply hurtful. I want to make something absolutely clear.
A child’s identity, sexuality or involvement in the Pride community is never an excuse for somebody else to bully them. And supporting your child in being themselves should never be used as a reason to blame a parent for the cruelty their child experiences. I refuse to allow Ollie’s life to be reduced to arguments about her identity.
She was a human being. She was a child. And she deserved kindness, safety and the opportunity to grow up.
The judgement I have experienced is another reason I believe conversations about grief, bullying and safeguarding are so important. Too often, people form opinions without understanding the lives behind the headlines.
What I hope to achieve
I have two main hopes for the work I am doing. Through Ollie’s Law, I want to help create meaningful change in how children are protected from bullying. I want schools, safeguarding organisations and mental health services to work together more effectively. I want parents to be listened to. And I want children to know that when they ask for help, somebody will take them seriously.
Through “ A Story of Grief” podcast I want to create a space where people feel less alone. A place where difficult emotions can be discussed without shame. And even anonymously if anyone feels unable to share their name.
A place where people can laugh, cry, feel angry, remember their loved ones and recognise that there is no single correct way to grieve.
Most importantly, I want Ollie to be remembered. Not simply as a child who died by suicide. Not as a headline. Not as a statistic.
But as the funny, loving, mischievous, compassionate girl who made my world brighter for 14 years.
A mother’s promise
I would give absolutely anything to have my daughter back.
I would give anything to hear her laugh again, listen to one of her jokes, or experience another ordinary day with her. But I cannot change the past.
What I can do is continue speaking. I can challenge the systems I believe need to change. I can share my experiences in the hope that somebody else feels understood. And I can make sure Ollie’s name continues to be spoken. I don’t want Ollie’s legacy to be defined solely by the tragedy of her death. I want it to be defined by the love she inspired, the conversations she started, and the changes I hope will one day be made in her name.
Ollie’s Law is my fight for the children who are still here.
A Story of Grief is my way of speaking to the people who are learning to live with someone missing.
And both began with the same thing.
A mother’s love for her daughter.
For those who wish to share their experiences of grief. You can email me your stories and experiences which will be read out exactly how you have written them, you can be anonymous if you wish. Please do email me at. astoryofgrief@outlook.com