A DUBLIN mother has spoken of her grief at losing four children to heroin.
Bridget Gavin told Dublin City Coroner’s Court she had “no choice but to cope” with the death of four of her children to drug-related problems.
Speaking from the body of the court, she said: “I only have one child left . . . my daughter died from an overdose, my sons died from drug complications as did my other daughter.”
She told the court she had lost her son Seán and two daughters, Patrice and Natasha, aged between 21 and 29 all to heroin, adding: “This is the fourth time I’ve been to the coroner’s court in the last seven years.”
Ms Gavin was speaking at the inquest into the death of her son James. The 28-year-old from Reuben Walk, Rialto, Dublin, died at St James’s Hospital on February 16th of HIV complications. The inquest heard he had started using drugs when he was 15 and had contracted HIV from intravenous drug use.
Giving a verdict of death by misadventure, Dublin city coroner Dr Brian Farrell said: “Words fail me in trying to express condolences to you. I don’t know how you can come to terms with dealing with losing four children. I hope and pray you can.”
“This is a profound tragedy. It reflects the devastating effects drugs, particularly heroin, can have on families.
“It’s the unfortunate circumstances of a lifestyle problem with heroin that led to his [James’s] death, even though he stopped using drugs five years ago,” Dr Farrell said.
“We’re having more and more inquests of people dying from drug-related infections they picked up when they were younger,” he added.