Nominated by
Amy Heffer
June 17, 2014
Patrick Heffer is my father, and is the most devoted family man I have ever met. He's suffered from post traumatic stress disorder for as long as I can remember, but has still managed to support my mother with her very, very serious anxiety disorder, and both myself and my younger brother through bouts of depression. He cooks every meal, cleans the house, does the washing, shops for groceries, drives my two brothers and our mother where they need to go, and somehow still finds time to ask whether I'm okay. If I ever have a tough day I know without a shadow of a doubt that I can call or text him and he'll make me feel better. All of this while living with his own PTSD.
I know it's been extremely hard for him. I don't think anybody else would have been able to cope with everything as well as he has done over the last 10 years or so, and I feel such a huge need for his strength to be recognised. Whenever one of us points it out to him he'll shrug it off and basically say that he loves us, what else would he do?
There are so many other ways he could have reacted to everything; he could've sat back and hoped for the best, or focused on his own recovery - or he could've even left. He didn't have to pick up the family and carry us all through as he has done.
Somebody other than us needs to tell him what an amazing man he is. He needs to realise what he's done for this family. I have a tremendous amount of respect for him, and if I can be even a fraction of the person he is I'll be proud.