Eh… I get what this guy is going for: he’s trying to use his and son’s situation as an example to other people of what can happen to families when you use heroin. At the end of the day, I believe his intentions are in the right place. But still… this isn’t the right move. This has to be the worst moment in your son’s young life. Is that something you really want the entire world to see? While the message is respectable, the medium isn’t. I mean, dude doesn’t even have the decency to put out his cigarette while he’s telling his son he’ll never see his mother again? Yeah, bad look.
Brenden Bickerstaff-Clark, from Youngstown, Ohio, posted this video of himself and a friend telling his son that his mother had died. He put the video on YouTube and it soon went viral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQDJJEeJt4I
Bickerstaff-Clark said Facebook:
“This is for any and every addict with children. Today I had to tell my 8-year-old son that his mommy died from a drug overdose last night. This is the realization and reality of our disease. Don’t let this disease have to make someone tell your child that you’re dead because of drugs. This was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. My son has no mother because of heroin…kinda hard to hear but u can hear what we’re saying. Please get help so our children don’t have to suffer. This wasn’t staged. This was real. I had someone record this so addicts with children can see the seriousness of our epidemic. I am recovering addict myself with 94 days clean tdoay. Please share and maybe help save a child’s parent’s life.”
Like I said, he’s got the right message, but this is just an overall bad visual. Unsurprisingly, Bickerstaff-Clark has received significant criticism on social media for his video.
Youngstown, Ohio, is one of the many American cities currently struggling with the heroin epidemic. I’m from North Jersey, which is considered by some to be the heroin capital of the country, so I’ve seen first-hand the impact this disease has. It’s ugly, and I hope anyone struggling with addiction can find help soon.
