Heather Roberts: Heroine for our Times

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November 17, 2020 | 13 Comments

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  1. Beautifully written Laurie and it covers so much of the work of Heather and her husband David. Heather’s gentleness shone through in every communication – added to which was a persuasive element which was always geared towards ensuring a better understanding, by the general public, of the possible dangers of prescribed medications. Heather worked tirelessly with others, and for others. She took such care of parents who had suffered from the same sort of tragedies as she and her family had endured for so many years. She had a strong belief in what lies beyond our time on this earth and that, I feel, had sustained her since Olly’s death. Her greatest disappointment was the fact that they had all been let down by those that they ought to have been able to trust. She had found so much comfort, in that respect, from finding out that so many of us shared so much of the same disappointments under very similar circumstances. Some of us, however, managed to escape the very worst scenario that faced Heather and David. Olly and Shane were very close in age. Both started to become unwell and to be prescribed antidepressants at around the same time. They were both prescribed Seroxat which created havoc for both in differing ways. Thank you, Laurie, for gathering the information that you have included here and for presenting it in your gentle way.

  2. How we will miss the lovely Heather and in this piece how gloriously Laurie has captured the essence of our dear Heather.

    Heather so often comes to mind after the sad news of her death,. I see something and I wonder, what would Heather think about that and how would Heather tackle that.

    We have all witnessed the terrible agony that Heather felt upon losing Olly. She was so proud of him, her adored son. Her love always shone through and yet Heather being Heather left no stone unturned in her drive and desire to draw attention to the many layered and faceted positions that Olly faced.

    Heather had a way with words where she could draw the picture in all its honesty, she would face head on in her inimitable way, the painful and oft horrifying journey that Olly travelled.

    But, the greatest thing about Heather was the way she travelled with him. She hardly missed a trick and no matter how painful the words she put together, she defended and clarified Olly’s life until the end.

    Seldom have we seen a woman’s grief so etched, so often, so written in painstaking detail.

    I will always remember Heather, for introducing us to her lovely and talented son, for her enduring capacity to refuse to take what came their way on the chin, and for being so loyal to the instincts of a mother who knows when life has delivered such fatal blows.

    Heather was a master of sleuthing, courageous, a champion of good over evil, driven, compelled, by love but with a tremendous capacity to realise that what came their way was not the entire story.

    Heather will always endure, we have lost a captain of the ship.

    Thank you Laurie.

  3. I am deeply saddened to hear about the sudden loss of lovely Heather.
    She was an angel in human form.
    Heather was larger than life yet intensely human, courageous yet warm.
    I will never forget her kind words, empathy or kindness.
    Heather appreciated and understood well, the reason why so many of us come to rxisk, to tell our story.
    Heather and her husband David, went ‘above and beyond’ their calling.
    They have created a legacy that is second to none.
    Their passionate, endless and tireless service towards humanity, is one that will remain in the hearts of those who understand the significance and magnitude, of their brilliant outstanding efforts.
    We are blessed to have souls like Heather and David, advocating for our most vulnerable. They are an inspiration to all who have suffered by those whom we thought we could trust.
    I respect and am in awe for what you have both achieved.
    The support, love and hope that Heather and David gave to so many people will never be forgotten.
    Someone special, like Heather, will live in my heart forever.
    I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to David and families. Wishing you strength for today and hope for tomorrow.

    • Carla, thank you for such a moving tribute to Heather and for your recognition of the achievements of her family. Their tireless endeavour to increase awareness of the devastation caused by ADRs and the additional pain caused by prescriber denial is inspirational.

      Yes, indeed, Heather was ‘an Angel in human form’. Amongst her many gifts, Heather could always find words and thoughts that revived flagging spirits. She used each and every possible opportunity to protect other families from avoidable harms.

  4. As Heather’s husband I am incredibly moved by all the wonderful comments and tributes that you have paid to Heather and to me. She was the most amazing communicator and story teller and would stand up in front of 200 children in the many primary school workshops she and I did and you could hear a pin drop!
    She was also an avid reader and always had a book on the go on her Kindle. Amazon will miss her!
    The greatest comfort to me is to know how much she has helped so many others in so many ways and that her work and efforts will live on especially her art work and the many articles she has written will be quoted, she would be so proud.
    The fight for justice for our youngsters will continue until trust and responsibility is taken by the medical profession and big Pharma for the drugs they prescribe.
    Thank you Laurie so very much for that beautiful tribute.

  5. Dear Laurie. Thank you for giving such a lovely tribute of my Mum, Heather. We will all miss her very much and thank you for your support and kind messages. George Roberts.

    • My sincere condolences David, and George, for the loss of Heather and for everything your family has had to endure. You shouldn’t have suffered the tragedies you did, but you met them together with grace and found creative ways of expressing your outrage, grief, and concern for others. Thank you for sharing a bit more of Heather here. (I wish I could have been there to see her captivating the attention of all those little ones!)

  6. Very sad to hear this news.

    I never met Heather in person, but we would often reply to each others comments on this site,
    and I greatly appreciated the support and encouragement she gave me,
    especially when I was struggling more than usual with the PSSD.

    She has done a lot to help highlight the harms prescription drugs can cause, and we must continue to fight on in her memory,
    until the truth about the harms prescription drugs can cause, becomes universally accepted.

  7. Heather Roberts: Heroin for our times.

    Dear Laurie,
    Thank you so much for posting such a beautifully written tribute to our friend, an angel and indeed, a heroin for our times.

  8. Hello Tim,
    Thank you for your heart-warming thoughts.
    I genuinely stand behind my words.
    Heather, was the kindest soul.
    We all try to play our small part, despite the rebuke, we face.

  9. Very sad to hear this news. Heather touched my life. Her comments and posts on this site have helped me so much as I have been finding my way to live with a drug injury. She will be missed.

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