Disabled artist Alison Lapper to turn teen son's ashes into ring to keep him close on wedding day after his shocking death
British artist Alison Lapper had always dreamt that when she got married, her only son, Parys, would give her away. Sadly, for the 54-year-old artist, her son passed away last month. But this hasn’t deterred her from having her son with her on her big day. She has decided to turn her son’s ashes into a diamond on her wedding band and wear it on her toe so that he could still be part of the celebrations.
Parys, 19, who suffered from severe mental health issues and drug addiction, was found dead in a hotel in Worthing, West Sussex, last month. The cause of his death is still under investigation. The artist received her son's ashes in an 11in papier-mache gold acorn last week. She plans on sending some of his remains to specialists who can crystallize them into a diamond. She said, “I wanted Parys to give me away. The ring is the only way I can keep him close to me, so he can be with us on the day."
Alison became famous when she posed for a sculpture to be unveiled in Trafalgar Square, while she was eight months pregnant with Parys. She was born with no arm' and shortened legs due to a congenital disorder. According to her, Parys was bullied severely at school because of her disability. She shared, "I could see he was struggling and hired a tutor when he was 10 as he was falling behind. He was also being bullied. Pupils would say, 'Your mum's a weirdo'. I told Parys that bullies usually have problems themselves but he was such a sensitive bunny. He stopped wanting me to go to parents' evening. He felt he had to protect me - on one occasion someone said something nasty about me and he hit them. I would say, 'Son, I'm here to protect you, not the other way round'."
He found it difficult to cope with bullying and his dyslexia. She is setting up The Parys Lapper Foundation in his memory.
Alison has been with Si Clift, a railway data analyst for a year. She said, “Si and I had been planning to get married next year. I thought about whether I still want to go through with it and decided Parys would want me to,” as reported by The Mirror.