KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffHeartland father speaks out about losing his son to meth

Heartland father speaks out about losing his son to meth

Heartland father speaks out about losing his son to meth
By: Crystal Britt

ANNA, Ill. - A heartland father speaks publicly about his own worst nightmare-- his son's agonizing death caused by years of doing Meth.

Jack Bridges of Cape Girardeau talked to members of the community at Anna-Jonesboro High School Thursday night. His son Shawn died March 26th. Not only was his story told here in the Heartland, but a documentary about Shawn's life, called "No More Sunsets: The Last Days of a Meth Addict" was shown all over the world.

At a special meth conference in Union County, organizers showed the documentary and Shawn's father Jack spoke about his firsthand encounter with his son...lying in a hospital bed dying from the drug abuse that eventually took his life.  "It keeps his memory alive, it keeps what he wanted to do alive. We don't want to see other families go through what we've gone through. We don't want to see other Shawns. It's not necessary", said Jack Bridges. 

Law enforcement, a former meth user, and others also spoke at the conference as well. It was also announced that a scholarship fund is currently being set up in Shawn Bridges' honor.