A Glasgow man has told how his father passed away suddenly earlier this year having never gotten over the loss of his wife and unborn son in a car accident 27 years ago.
Charles Howe and his siblings are now fundraising for mental health charity SAMH, which he says is vitally important, not just for the support they provide, but for the work they do in raising awareness and challenging the stigma around mental health.
Charles, 39, along with his brother James, 35, and sister Paula, 38, have organised a charity old firm match to raise money, with the Rangers side set to be captained by James and the Celtic side by Charles. Family and friends will play on each side and some ex-professional players will be on the teams.
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The couple had gone out for a drive with their youngest son James, who was eight-years-old at the time, in December of 1995. As the family drove along Blackhill Road, a stolen car came flying around a corner, hitting the family head-on. Mum Helen Howe and her unborn son sadly died as a result, while dad, Charles Howe, and young James survived with minor injuries.
The driver of the vehicle was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment on charges of fleeing the scene, failing to report the accident, driving while disqualified and without insurance, careless driving, and driving the car without the owner's consent.
Charles told Glasgow Live: "When I was about 12, my mum, dad, and brother James were all in a car accident back in December 1995. It was at the really bad corner on Blackhill Road in Summerston.
"My mum was heavily pregnant at the time and she and our unborn brother sadly passed away. My dad was in hospital for a while and it took him some time to get back on his feet after it all.
"It totally destroyed him, to be honest, he was just never the same. He needed a lot of help and that lasted right up until his death earlier this year.
"He suffered from PTSD and anxiety and I think he thought about the car accident a lot. He definitely had a lot of trauma from it anyway, constantly reliving it and suffering from survivor's guilt."
Charles added: "Over the years my dad and James really spoke a lot of their shared love of football, my dad loved talking about the game and being a big Celtic fan, and used to love winding James up as he is a Rangers supporter.
"They didn't speak about the accident for a long time. I think it was just too difficult, that shared experience."
The family has always been a mix of Rangers and Celtic supporters, and would often watch Old Firm matches together despite supporting opposing teams. Usual family banter would ensue over the winners and losers, but the family cherished the time spent together nonetheless.
Their dad would sometimes listen to the game over the radio, as he struggled with anxiety, but loved the times he spent at Charles' or Paula's house watching the two teams play.
The family felt a charity old firm game would be a great way to bring everyone together to celebrate their dad's life and raise some money for an amazing charity.
Mental Health charity SAMH was at the forefront of their minds as they wanted to do something to celebrate their dad's 60th birthday this November despite him not being here. Charles used to play for Maryhill Juniors and so got in touch to see if the club could assist with their endeavour.
Charles said: "We knew we wanted to do something to celebrate dad's 60th birthday and witnessing firsthand the grip and affect mental health can have over someone we have a huge appreciation for the work organisations like SAMH do.
"We do owe a huge thank you to Tam Drew and all at Maryhill juniors for their help and use of the grounds and facilities, we really wouldn't be able to do this for our dad without them.
"Back in the day mental health was essentially an invisible disease, no one really talked about. I think if my dad had had the right support in place from the very beginning, things would have been different and that's what SAMH do.
"The importance of getting the right support at the right time is just invaluable, and that's why we wanted to raise money for the charity."
You can donate to the family's JustGiving page here.
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