YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Video of an Ohio father telling his 8-year-old son that his mother died of an overdose is going viral -- and is also attracting some criticism.
Facebook user Brenden Bickerstaff-Clark, who lists himself as being from Youngstown, posted the video Monday.
WJW, who spoke with Bickerstaff-Clark, blurred his child's face to protect the boy's identity.
In the post, the father asks that other Facebook users share the video to "maybe save a child's parent's life."
It states:
"This is for 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 your 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."
The video shows the father telling his son what happened. The little boy starts crying and puts his head down on the table while he is consoled by another woman in the video.
Many comments under the post criticize the father for sharing the recording.
One commenter said, in part: "This is disgusting, why would you have someone record you telling you poor child that his mama is dead!"
Another commented: "Thank you for sharing an emotional event that helps spread awareness. I hope you do stay clean of all drugs. My condolences to you, your son, and family. I hope this inspires you to make a better difference in the world."
As of Wednesday afternoon, the video had been viewed over 25 million times and was shared over 628,000 times.
