Weeping MSP tells how father died of alcohol abuse at 60
AN MSP choked back tears as she spoke of her father’s death from alcohol abuse in a plea to end the stigma of addiction.
Labour’s Monica Lennon struggled to keep a lid on her emotions as she told Holyrood of her torment at losing her father, Gerard Ward, two years ago.
She described the pain at his sudden death aged 60 after seeing his drink problem spiral over the years.
Mrs Lennon raised the issue yesterday at First Minister’s Questions – after deaths from alcohol and drug abuse hit a ten-year high.
The MSP for Central Scotland said: ‘Too often, families only break their silence about drug or alcohol harm after they have buried loved ones. I know because two years ago my dad died as a result of alcohol harm. In 2016, Scotland reached an unacceptable ten-year peak, with 2,132 people dying as a result of alcohol and drugs misuse. We have a long way to go.
‘Can I ask the First Minister to join me in sending a message to everyone in Scotland affected by drug or alcohol harm, that they matter – they are not to blame and they are deserving of support.’
She was applauded from all sides and Miss Sturgeon praised her ‘courage’ for raising a ‘deeply personal’ issue.
Afterwards, Mrs Lennon, who has an 11-year-old daughter, said she lived with her father’s problem for years.
However, it began to escalate rapidly after she left the family home for university. It led to the break-up of his marriage and decision to retire in his early 50s from his job as a local authority health and safety officer. She said: ‘There were times he was not able to come to special occasions, and family events and relationships can become strained because of alcohol.
‘So my parents separated and divorced and there were times, because of my dad’s drinking, that we were estranged for short periods, sometimes weeks and sometimes months.
‘You try that tough love approach because you want to try everything to shock people and withdraw your support, because you don’t want to be an enabler and covering up someone’s drinking or helping them. It’s really difficult – I really didn’t know what to do.
‘Recently, my mum has been ill and having treatment for cancer and people are so sympathetic and concerned and you can talk about that and it is relatable because so many people are touched by cancer.
‘But when my dad was in and out of hospital and unwell, that is different. You can’t talk about it. There is a real stigma.’
She talked of being made to feel ‘ashamed and embarrassed’ when she and other family members visited him at hospia
‘I really didn’t know what to do’ ‘Many turned a blind eye to it’
tal after he first became ill. Mrs Lennon, who became an MSP last year and is now Scottish Labour’s equalities spokesman, said many turned a blind eye to her father’s increasing problem because he was sociable, had a lot of friends and only drank in public, never at home.
‘I was very lucky to grow up in very loving family but over the years this became an issue,’ she said. ‘It was difficult and after separating from my mum he took early retirement, again influenced by his drinking.
‘He lived on his own latterly and I continued to see him regularly but it wasn’t easy. By the end, he had a daily routine of sitting in the pub.’
Mr Ward died in May 2015. The last time he spoke to his daughter was to tell her about getting a lift to the polling station from SNP activists to cast his vote – before calling at the pub.
She added: ‘It was such a shock when he went into hospital and they said he wasn’t going to make it. The last few years, he had asthma and was struggling to walk and was breathless.
‘Even now I find it hard, I’ve had counselling in the past – and that’s why when I raise it in parliament it is not to make a cheap political point. It’s because this is important.
‘My story is not unusual. If more people felt they could speak more openly we could really change the culture and change Scotland’s relationship with drugs and alcohol.’