Halifax mum 'struggling with depression' after son's 'horror' incident

Beverley Bland, 47, who lives on Backhold Drive, said she is "struggling with depression" after coming to terms she will have to care for her son, Nathan Bland, 20, full-time for the foreseeable future.

Ms Bland, who is also struggling physically after a kidney removal operation on August 13, was hit with the news her son was in a near-fatal 'horror' incident on November 26 which saw him lose his left leg below the knee and the toes on his right foot.

"Since my son's incident there's been a high build of pressure which has left me struggling with depression.

"My son spent over a month in hospital which was physically and mentally draining, and then I lost my grandma (Cynthia Jacob, 90) after she suffered a fatal stroke."

Nathan Bland said: "Losing a limb and the proper use of my right foot has completely thrown off my balance, and my back is in a lot of pain.

"I remember looking at my own foot thinking I was in a horror movie, it just reminded me of a zombie film."

Ms Bland also admitted her family were not able to celebrate Christmas due to the strain her son's incident has had on the family both financially and mentally.

Ms Bland said: "The worst part of it all was Nathan was such an active person.

"He used to go on 50-mile bike challenges including the Morecambe to Bridlington coast-to-coast ride.

"To see him sat at home all the time is heartbreaking, especially over the Christmas period which was we had to put on hold.

"For me, I'm not getting any 'me time', which every person needs because we've all got to recharge."

Going forward, Ms Bland said Calderdale Council have refused to build an out-house ramp for her son who is now wheelchair bound.

However, she is currently in talks with the council which will assess her home to develop her home's bathroom into a mixed-ability wet room.

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Adults’ Services and Wellbeing, Coun Bob Metcalfe, said: “Calderdale Council does all it can to help people live independently in their homes and can assist with a number of home adaptation options for people with disabilities.

“Following an application to the accessible homes team, an assessment of the property is carried out to ensure that any adaptions sufficiently meet the needs of the applicant.

“In this case, the assessment appointment of the property is scheduled for next week. Following this, we will be able to identify what support or advice we can offer to improve access to the home.”

Ms Bland has reached out to the public to help fund her son's wheelchair ramp with a GoFundMe page, set up by relative Kira Hirst.

The fund-raising page can be found here.

If you are struggling with mental health, groups, organisations and charities within the Calderdale area can help.

If you feel like you need immediate support, please consider attending an event nearest to you or contact the Samaritans free on 116 123.

A spokesperson from the suicide prevention charity Samaritans, said: "Anyone can contact Samaritans free any time from any phone on 116 123, even a mobile without credit.

"This number won’t show up on your phone bill, or you can email [email protected] or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch, where you can talk to one of our trained volunteers face to face.

Halifax's Samaritans branch can be contacted on 01422 349349, and is located on 29 Harrison Road.

Other organisations include Unmasked Mental Health, which meet at 7pm every Thursday for both men and women at locations: Kingcross Fire Station, Sowerby Bridge Tesco, Brighouse Tesco, and Mytholmroyd Community Centre.

Visit Unmasked Mental Health at: unmaskedmentalhealth.co.uk.

Andy's Man Club, a Calderdale origin (now nationwide) group formed three years ago, which helps mental health in males and can be contacted by visiting: andysmanclub.co.uk.