A Donegal woman whose son died in England is fronting a campaign to have new legislation introduced in the British Parliament to have legal highs banned there.
Jimmy Guichard from Letterkenny died last October after taking a legal high.
The 20 year old GAA player had moved to England to look after his dad who is suffering from cancer.
However Jimmy died after suffering a massive heart attack and brain damage from the unknown substance.
Now his mum Karen has written to the 416 MPs in the House of Lords asking to help her introduce Jimmy’s Law in England.
So far 80 of them have responded to her campaign.
Karen told Donegal Daily she is delighted by the response to Jimmy’s Law which aims to introduce a total ban on all legal highs across Britain.
“Considering I never wrote an email before I am delighted by the response.
“I sat down and asked my daughter to set me up with an account and I emailed every one of the 416 MPs.
“I have so far received 80 responses and they have promised to help. It’s a great start and I would love to see Jimmy’s Law become a real law,” she said.
Karen said life without her eldest son is difficult but the campaign is keeping her busy.
“If I can get Jimmy’s Law passed then he will not have died in vain.
“We went through hell as a family and I would not like any other family to go through what we went through and are going through.
“Nobody knows what is in these legal highs and that is the most dangerous thing,” she said.
Jimmy, who was a talented hurler with St Eunans in Letterkenny, was found in his bedroom in Kent by his dad Martin.
He was rushed to hospital but died the following day after his family were told there was no hope for him.
His mum Karen decided to give permission to release a touching picture of Jimmy on a life-support machine.
The picture was later used in an anti-drugs billboard campaign in Latvia.
“I wanted people to see what damage taking these so-called legal highs can do,” she said.
Karen will be travelling to England in a few weeks to speak about Jimmy’s death in schools across Britain.
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