Manchester Arena bomb survivor who battled PTSD found dead aged 20
Eve Aston, a ‘jolly soul’ and Ariana Grande fan who survived the Manchester Arena bombing.(GoFundMe)
An Ariana Grande fan who grappled with PTSD and depression after surviving the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing has tragically died.
Eve Aston passed away 23 July, her mother Amanda confirmed to Birmingham Live. The cause of death is currently unknown.
Her parents are fundraising for a funeral after she was found dead in her bedroom by father Andrew, 43, in Finchfield, Wolverhampton.
“Eve was one of a kind. Loud, funny, beautiful and caring does not even cover a tiny percentage of the person she was,” Amanda, 55, wrote.
She was one of the 14,200 people to attend the Grande gig on 22 May, 2017, that ended with 22 dead and 234 injured when a bomb tore through the stadium.
Manchester Arena bombing survivor ‘couldn’t sleep or hear loud noises’ after attack
Ariana Grande had only moments ago finished her encore when the explosion launched by Salman Abedi rocked the arena – and the terror of the night left Eve traumatised.
Eve had been on the other side of the venue from where the bomb was detonated. In the years since, though, she struggled with loud noises as the tragedy “took a toll” on her, her mother said.
The carpet of floral tributes to the victims and injured of the Manchester Arena bombing. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
“After the concert, she started suffering from PTSD. She loved cars and was looking at getting a job working with cars but her depression got worse.
“She couldn’t sleep or hear bangs after the concert. She grieved for the 22.”
Grande’s music, Amanda wrote on a fundraising page, helped give her daughter “strength”.
“This was an event so close to Eve’s heart, which, anyone would know as she spoke of Ariana Grande so highly to everyone she came across,” Amanda added.
Amanda said that it felt like her daughter was about to bounce back as she became more of her “old self” in recent weeks. But then Andrew discovered her dead, leaving them both “heartbroken”.
“It’s like a bad dream,” Amanda said. “It’s like she’s going to walk back through the door and say: ‘Got ya!’.
“She’s left such a big hole, everyone’s saying they can’t believe it.”
A major inquiry into the blast found that a string of missteps from the Manchester Arena’s security team, among other shortcomings, resulted in “missed opportunities” to minimise the damage of the attack and save lives.
Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans free on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
