She Refused to Let Her Brother’s De-ath Be in Vain — Poppy Spent Years Fighting to Save Others from Sui-cide, But Now Her Family Is Facing Another Unimaginable L0ss
Exclusive: When Poppy Reynolds lost her big brother Harry to suicide, she was determined to keep his memory alive through mental health and suicide prevention advocacy.
Less than four years after Harry’s death, the Reynolds family have lost 22-year-old Poppy in the very same way.
Poppy Reynolds, 22, died in June, nearly four years after losing her older brother to suicide. Natalie Vizer Reynolds
“Amid all the beautiful fun and laughter, Poppy was masking much of the time,” Harry and Poppy’s mum Natalie Vizer Reynolds told nine.com.au after her death on June 22.
“Like I said in her funeral tribute, she was brave and resilient and so very stubborn.
“So on her last day in this life, I believe she was brave and stubborn but her resilience failed to show up in those last moments.”
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Named for a yellow poppy flower, Poppy has been remembered by friends, family and the wider community in Bundaberg, Queensland for her cheeky antics and loving nature.
She worked as a civil plant operator and had lived out of home for two years before returning this past January.
It gave her family precious time to make memories with Poppy before she passed, though they didn’t know it at the time.
“Poppy was the best cheerleader if you were one of her people,” Natalie said.
“And she was so easy to love and enjoy because she was funny and so very generous.”
Growing up, Poppy and older brother Harry were incredibly close and were often mistaken for twins despite their almost two-year age gap.
When Harry died in 2022, aged just 20, it changed something in Poppy.
“It did play on Poppy’s heart, and she became very passionate about mental health awareness and help,” Natalie said.
“She really worked on herself concerning Harry, as did we all.”
Poppy raised money for suicide prevention in her brother’s memory and posted a tribute to Harry on social media to mark Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
Poppy and Harry were incredibly close as children, and losing him changed Poppy forever. Natalie Vizer Reynolds
“It’s not weak to speak,” she wrote on TikTok on June 11.
“I live each day for him and forever will, I love you so much Haz. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
Days later, Poppy died.
At her July 3 funeral, Poppy’s father Bruce Reynolds begged her three surviving siblings Jack, Grace and Euleilah not to make him attend another funeral.
Natalie said each member of the family is coping with Poppy’s sudden loss in their own way.
“Many have talked about a numbness that wasn’t there when Harry left us,” she said.
“Perhaps it’s the shock still reverberating. I call it ‘riding unbidden waves’.
“In one moment we are recounting a Poppy story with laughter, then tears rain down in the same snatched breath.”
Natalie Vizer Reynolds can’t fully comprehend a world without Poppy in it. Natalie Vizer Reynolds
The Reynolds family know from losing Harry that grief isn’t a linear process, but Natalie confessed she still finds it difficult to believe Poppy is gone.
Knowing how passionately her daughter advocated for mental health awareness and suicide prevention only makes her death more heartbreaking.
At just 22, Poppy had already touched so many lives and made such an impact on the people around her.
Her passing inspired an outpouring of grief and love from friends, family, and even strangers online who never met Poppy but knew how meaningful her life and advocacy was.
It doesn’t ease the pain, Natalie said, but it has helped the family in some small ways.
“There is genuine goodness in the world, and we are the recipients of an ocean of it,” she said.
“It definitely brings soothing to our souls so that we can navigate the next unbidden wave of grief and tears. It is very humbling.”
There has been an outpouring of love and support for the family following Poppy’s sudden death. Natalie Vizer Reynolds
Poppy’s family have a long and devastating road ahead of them as they come to terms with her death. Nothing can change that.
Natalie just hopes that Poppy’s story will remind other Australians, especially those who find themselves in dark and desperate times, to never give up the search for help.
“Keep ringing everyone in your contact list until you get someone who will pick up and take time to hold you while you are passing through a bad storm,” she said.
“And if no one picks up, google all the helplines until you get a hold of someone.
“Being vulnerable with safe people is our superpower and guardrail. Bring the darkness into the light and it will lose its power. Don’t give up in searching for healing pathways.
“Try again and again and advocate for the type of help that will help you back into the sunshine. There is nothing glamorous or romantic or glossy or fun about suicide.”
Losing a child to suicide is a tragedy Natalie doesn’t want any other parent to experience. Natalie Vizer Reynolds
Now she’s advocating for more holistic approaches to youth mental health support, starting with quality, compassionate, accessible mental health care.
That’s especially vital in remote and regional areas, like Bundaberg, where Aussies face complex attitudinal, financial and digital barriers to accessing support.
Natalie’s last message was for the parents, friends and family of other Aussies lost to suicide.
“Although now I have lost two beautiful souls whom I grew and birthed and nurtured and loved from near and from afar, I feel less qualified than ever to speak to the parents who have experienced the same,” she said.
“I have learned a lot since Harry left us, but it took a lot of time and soul-searching and I can tell you my learnings, but they may sound like vacant platitudes.
“Grief is deeply personal, but research shows us that it is better processed in front of safe and supportive people.
“Accept the offers of help – spiritual, emotional, psychological, practical, physical. Cry and wail all the way down to the ground.
“You loved them deeply, wildly, sacredly then, and it hasn’t changed. So be gentle and kind to yourself.”
If you or someone you know needs support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).
SOURCE: https://www.nine.com.au/australia-news/poppy-reynolds-suicide-years-after-brother-died-mental-health-exclusive-interview-20260710-p60ea8.html
