“My son took his own life after suffering from a migraine – it’s more than just a headache.”

“Sean’s migraines lasted the better part of a month. He didn’t have a headache for more than a few days.”

The mother of a “brilliant” young musician who took his own life after years of suffering from terrible migraines says people need to learn that the debilitating disease is “more than just a headache”.

Sean Martin (26) was the lead singer of the indie band The Night Café, which he formed with friends at Gateacre School in Belle Vale in 2014. The band released their debut EP Get Away From The Feeling in 2017, and their debut album “0151” in 2019. Their songs have had over 50 million plays on Spotify and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and their most popular song – You Change With The Seasons – has been listened to over 11 million times.

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However, the promising young musician was forced to abandon his passion after he began suffering from chronic migraines that ruined his life and made him unable to function. Migraine is a severe headache that is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and hypersensitivity to light and sound. Attacks can last for several days and have a devastating impact on the victim’s daily life, job, relationships and mental health.

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Cath, 58, Sean’s mum, said: ‘It started around 2020 and was really debilitating. It’s a myth that it’s just a headache and that’s what I’m trying to combat. This is undoubtedly more than just a headache. This can affect every part of your life.

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“Sean was an amazing musician and just wanted to make his music, but the migraines got in the way because they were so bad. It was an absolutely chronic disease. He was under the care of the Walton Center and had medication, but he wasn’t responding to the medication, so they weren’t helping him at all. There are days when you can’t concentrate when you feel so much pain. He had to walk away from music and it was painful for him, it was all he wanted to do.”

Sadly, Sean was found dead on November 3, 2023 at his home on Parkfield Road, Aigburth. An inquest in Liverpool on April 10 this year found that the promising musician, who also suffered from bipolar disorder, had taken his own life.

Now campaigning with The Migraine Trust for Migraine Awareness Week (23-29 September), Cath said: “Sean’s migraines lasted most of the month. The headache did not occur for more than a few days a month. Just how bad they were, it had an impact on every aspect. He wanted to keep writing his songs, he wanted to keep doing the things he was so brilliant at, but unfortunately the pain was just debilitating.

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A survey of 2,028 migraine sufferers, conducted by The Migraine Trust, found that 89% of participants said the condition affected their mental health, and 55% said the impact was significant. 80% said they were less likely to attend social gatherings because of their migraine, 59% said they had lost self-confidence and 48% felt isolated. As many as 34% said they had suicidal thoughts.

Cath said: “In my heart, if I can prevent one more person from suffering like he did, for the legacy of my beautiful son, that will be a good thing. It is very important for people to understand that migraine is more than just a migraine. than just a headache. Employers need to understand, doctors need to be aware, that for people with chronic pain, the path to treatment needs to be faster than it currently is. For people suffering from this condition, it is necessary to systematically change the migraine.

“He was such a kind, caring boy who could help others with his music, and since his death a lot of people have contacted us saying how much writing his songs helped them, which was wonderful. But because of this chronic pain, it was difficult to continue living.”