The Princess of Wales has praised a mother recovering from alcohol addiction who survived a near-fatal seizure, during a visit to Southend, Essex, to mark Addiction Awareness Week.
Kate, patron of The Forward Trust charity, met Steph Sampson, 45, who is now six-and-a-half months sober and works as a peer mentor. The princess told Ms Sampson her family “must be super proud” of her progress.
Visit to Garon Park
The princess toured Garon Park in Southend, where the charity runs weekly gardening sessions for recovering addicts. She was shown around a cricket ground that includes a wellbeing walk and gardening area used by people on the Forward Trust's Southend Treatment and Recovery Service (STARS).
Ms Sampson, from Leigh-on-Sea, described the moment she stopped breathing during a seizure in 2019. “My ex-husband had to do CPR, I had stopped breathing. So, I went to bed as normal, and I woke up on the floor surrounded by four paramedics,” she recalled in an interview with the Mirror.
Daughter's letter
Ms Sampson, who has a 21-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son, described herself as a “functioning alcoholic” who continued with daily chores while drinking at home. Her daughter once wrote her a five-page letter pleading with her to get help.
“I just remember her standing there crying and I can remember kind of looking through her. And, if I’m completely honest, probably thinking, can you go away now so I can have a drink? Horrible, but it’s true,” Ms Sampson said. The letter read: “Just please, we all care so much about you, we’re all here, please get some help.”
Road to recovery
In 2022, Ms Sampson went cold turkey during a family holiday to Tenerife and suffered another seizure 48 hours into the trip. Last year, she asked her GP for help and was referred to STARS. She entered detox in March this year, followed by eight weeks at Forward Trust’s SHARP rehab in Wickford, Essex.
Ms Sampson called the programme “life-saving”. She said: “They saved my life. The programme, the detox, the rehab, everything they’ve set up for me.” Last month, she received a birthday card from her daughter expressing pride in her.
“I never would have thought I’d have been this happily sober. It’s not hard for me to stay sober, there’s no going back. I’m 100% committed to never having that one drink again,” she said. Looking ahead, she added: “I just want to help people. I understand it, I get it. It’s hard work, I want to support them through it. And as many people as I can, I will.”
