Ohio dad Brendan Bickerstaff-Clark filmed the moment he told his 8-year-old son that his mom had died of a drug overdose on Monday and then shared the video of it on Facebook. Bickerstaff-Clark says he did it to try and help save the lives of other children's parents who are struggling with drug addiction.
"I have something to tell you, okay?" Bickerstaff-Clark says to his son at the start of the video. "Mommy died last night." His son replies, "What do you mean? My mom? How?" His son collapses and begins to cry as Bickerstaff-Clark responds, "From drugs."
In a post accompanying the video, Bickerstaff-Clark wrote, "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." He went on to write, "Don’t let this disease have to make someone tell your child that your dead because of drugs. My son has no mother because of heroin."
Comments on the video are mixed. Some commenters have expressed sadness and remorse, while others have encouraged Bickerstaff-Clark to keep up his own sobriety. "Keep up your sobriety. Your son needs you more than ever," one wrote.
But some commenters think it was cruel to film and then share the video with the world. One person wrote, "Horrible and selfish thing to post. This is a child's life, not a reason to go viral. There are other ways to raise awareness but do not share this heartbreaking moment with the rest of the world. This is so shameful." Some people also accused Bickerstaff-Clark of staging the video.
The video has amassed 25 million views, over 631,000 shares, and 84,000 comments since Bickerstaff-Clark posted it on Monday.
