For many people here in Ipswich, Vikramsing Damree was the man who helped them find hope, reassuring them with a kind word and a smile that everything would be alright.
As a mental health nurse for more than 20 years, Vik, as he was known to friends and family, was used to meeting people at their lowest ebbs.
“He always saw the person as part of his family,” explained Vik’s wife, Bibi Damree. It was rare for Vik to walk down a street in Ipswich without being approached by former patients, who he would greet with a hug.
“He was always bringing in new ides and strategies to make life better for people who are struggling at their darkest points,” Bibi continued.
“He would walk in with a smile, and he would come back with a smile, regardless of how hard or challenging it had been.
“When it came to problem solving, he would be there. He never backed down. That was how he lived his life.”
Vik was born in Mauritius, the eldest of two boys, on August 12, 1981.
After finishing school, Vik travelled to London to study mental health nursing at Thames Valley University.
Vik had only been at university for a month when his father passed away suddenly in November 2001. Vik could not afford the flight home, and so was unable to pay his final respects to his father. However, his father had always taught him to work hard and never to shy away from a challenge, and so Vik resolved to study hard and achieve his dream, as his father would have wanted.
The following April, Vik met Bibi as they both studied in the university library.
The pair quickly became the best of friends, and Bibi said that soon, he knew everything about her, and she him. In August, Vik confessed that he had developed feelings for Bibi. They have been together ever since.
Vik knew that when he proposed to Bibi, it had to be perfect. As they visited a church in Milan on their first holiday together, Vik got down on one knee and asked Bibi to be his wife. With no hesitation, Bibi said yes.
By this time, Vik was working at the West Middlesex University Hospital. The couple later moved to Colchester, where Vik had been offered a role as charge nurse on a psychiatric ward.
On May 19, 2006, Vik and Bibi tied the knot. Their first child, a son named Iklash, arrived on February 15, 2007, with Bibi spending her first Valentine’s Day as a married woman in labour.
Bibi broke the news to Vik that she was pregnant with their second son, Eshan, on Christmas Eve 2009. Unwrapping the positive pregnancy test, a bemused Vik wondered why his wife had bought him what first appeared to be a pen for Christmas.
By this time, the family had moved to Ransome Crescent in Ipswich. Vik had left his job in Colchester and was now working in the forensic mental health ward at the Woodlands in Heath Road. Here, Vik developed a reputation in Ipswich for his calmness and kindness and was sponsored to train as a manager.
As a father, Vik was determined to provide for his boys. The family holidayed all over Europe in countries such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Romania, Spain, and many more besides. In 2013, the family purchased a villa in Grand Gaube, Mauritius, so the boys could get to know the country where their parents had been born.
In 2020, Vik left his role at Woodlands and became a locum for an agency. Over the next few years, he worked with eating disorder sufferers in Chelmsford, on a psychiatric ward in Bury St Edmunds, and for the Priory Hospital in Attleborough.
When Vik’s contacts in Ipswich heard that he was looking for work closer to home, he was offered a role at Walkers Close, an inpatient service for people with learning disabilities.
This was a challenging role, as Vik was looking after people who needed constant care and supervision. However, Vik soon gained the trust of his patients and their families.
He would do anything he could to make them smile, from learning Makaton to dancing to Indian Bhangra music, to ensuring that his patients were able to join in with the fun of Halloween for the very first time.
Vik’s family were incredibly proud of everything he achieved. During his career, he was nominated several awards, including the Green Light Champion, which recognises those who support people with learning disabilities or autism. He was also nominated as the best charge nurse when he worked for the Priory, and as a BEM (black and minority ethnic) officer when he worked in Woodlands.
Vik is also greatly missed by the 178 students he mentored, all of whom went on to become nurses or managers. Vik kept in touch with all of them, long after the mentorship had ended, and was always willing to offer support and advice.
Vik died suddenly at the age of 42 on January 8. A celebration of his life was attended by hundreds of people at Trinity Park, organised by Smith Family Funeral Directors in Felixstowe.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here