Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Mattress Mick shared the most heartbreaking story on the Humans of Dublin Facebook page

“She’ll always be in that very special place in my heart.”

HUMANS OF DUBLIN is the seriously popular Facebook page created by photographer Peter Varga that showcases the stories of people from the capital.

And last night, a familiar face popped up: Mattress Mick.

Normally known for his quirky sales pitches, Mick showed us a different side of his life with a truly poignant story, that’s since gone viral.

mattressmick Humans of Dublin Humans of Dublin

His touching story begins:

When I was in my late teens I met a girl, and she became very, very special to me. She was my first love. We were together for quite a while, but I guess we were just too young… We met too early. She wanted to do other things, so she decided to go different ways.
We kept in touch on and off for a long time, but after that, I hadn’t seen her for years. I knew she got married, I knew she had children. Some of her friends kept in touch with me, so I always knew what was going on. She was always very special to me, and never really left my thoughts.

humansof Humans of Dublin Humans of Dublin

It’s at that point that things took a turn for the worse:

A few years later somebody told me she developed cancer. I actually met her about two years before she died. Her friends organised a reunion but I didn’t think it’d be the last time I saw her.
One Sunday afternoon, out of the blue, a friend of hers called me and said, ‘Hi Michael, I have someone here that wants to talk to you.’ She said, ‘Hi, it’s me, Kathy. I just would like to say goodbye. I know I’m going to die soon, and I wanted to let you know you were very special in my life too.’

And he finished his story with a lovely message:

Every time I think about that phone call I get very sad. It was the nicest phone call I have ever received in my whole life. It meant so much to me. That someone who knew they were terminally ill and hadn’t a lot of time could actually think about me, and tell me that… I guess it is true, it’s never too late to tell somebody how you feel. She died that week, but she’ll always be in that very special place in my heart.

Mick’s story has struck a chord with so many fans of the page, with over 6000 likes on the photo overnight.

Heartbreaking.

You can like the Humans of Dublin Facebook page here. Peter is currently planning to create a book from the project and is looking for designers and publishers to get involved. 

More 8 ‘Humans of Dublin’ stories that will melt your heart>

More Irish women are sharing their messiest, most honest period stories>

Written by David Elkin and posted on DailyEdge.ie

[image alt="" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2016/02/img2-thejournal-262.png" width="600" height="115" credit-url="" credit-source="" credit-via="" credit-via-url="" wp-id="wp-image-2580080" class="alignnone" /end]

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
14 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Crocodylus Pontifex
    Favourite Crocodylus Pontifex
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 3:31 PM

    Come on students of UCD, don’t tell us you have forgotten what a full scale student protest is

    286
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan O'Riordan
    Favourite Jonathan O'Riordan
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 3:37 PM

    @Crocodylus Pontifex: normally you can’t prevent them marching- not one to the Chinese embassy in last two years Spend some time with us at Orwell Road too

    108
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan O'Riordan
    Favourite Jonathan O'Riordan
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 3:36 PM

    Good man Ben- proud of you.

    164
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bopper Bops Holland
    Favourite Bopper Bops Holland
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 3:55 PM

    @Jonathan O’Riordan: he resigned from one position

    48
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bopper Bops Holland
    Favourite Bopper Bops Holland
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 3:57 PM

    @Bopper Bops Holland: and a part time one at that

    59
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan O'Riordan
    Favourite Jonathan O'Riordan
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 5:23 PM

    @Bopper Bops Holland: so he is still making a point, more than most

    59
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan Leahy
    Favourite Alan Leahy
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 4:04 PM

    Does his resignation come with a pay cut or is it the same pay package, now with less responsibility?

    60
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tony Harris
    Favourite Tony Harris
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 4:36 PM

    @Alan Leahy: Might it be a mealy mouthed resignation?

    48
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute diarmuid
    Favourite diarmuid
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 5:45 PM

    You might mention that he’s a director of the Irish Defence and Security Association, a lobby group for the arms industry in Ireland.

    35
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan O'Riordan
    Favourite Jonathan O'Riordan
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 8:30 PM

    @diarmuid: don’t see the relevance, but glad to hear that Ireland is making €38m off software and technology as an industry. If not us then it would be someone else

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fergus Quinlan
    Favourite Fergus Quinlan
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 5:56 PM

    The western media have won the day….war has come in one door as truth and reason fled out the other..NATO…who have worked hard for this moment …wine and dine with the arms salesmen…

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jim Monaghan
    Favourite Jim Monaghan
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 4:55 PM

    Russia treats Ukraine in the same way the USA treats Cuba. It is the equivalent of Ireland to Russia. The invasion has to be opposed. Putin’s war of aggression has damaged us all. Aside for economic consequences, it could lead to a world war.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Roger Bond
    Favourite Roger Bond
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 6:35 PM

    @Jim Monaghan: Do you remember the Cuba crisis where America threatened Nuclear war if Russia didn’t get out of Cuba.
    Russia now doesn’t want NATO, US with bases in Ukraine.

    15
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Disco Inferno
    Favourite Disco Inferno
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 6:39 PM

    @Roger Bond: that’s because the USSR had placed and threatened to place, nuclear arms facilities on thr Island of cuba, so its not the same, not by a long shot

    22
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ivan Connolly
    Favourite Ivan Connolly
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 8:45 PM

    @Disco Inferno: the USSR was placing nuclear weapons in Cuba because the US had placed them in Turkey. So it was tit for tat only the US weren’t going to have any tat and instead threatened all out war. Russia’s anxiety regarding Ukraines potential membership of NATO is that the US will place missile systems, which they have already placed in other NATO countries, which are capable of neutralising Russia’s nuclear deterrent and therefore unbalancing the MAD status quo. Their reasoning is sound but their actions are appalling. But the world has a history of powerful countries acting appallingly simply because they can. There are other countries with whom we are closely aligned who have acted in the exact same manner but do not receive our condemnation. The wests hypocrisy is also appalling

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colm O'Leary
    Favourite Colm O'Leary
    Report
    Mar 2nd 2022, 6:44 AM

    @Roger Bond: do you? Remember the Cuban missile crisis or is it something you’ve just read about in your schoolbooks so you “know” about it! History is different if you’ve lived through it to what shows up in books 40 or 50 years later when the hindsight is 20/20 and everyone has died….

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gerard Collins
    Favourite Gerard Collins
    Report
    Mar 1st 2022, 4:59 PM

    Delores Cahill!?

    8
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds