She had not spoken publicly since the tragic disappearance of her autistic and polyhandicapped son, which she announced on social networks on February 20, 2023. Host Églantine Éméyé, known to the general public for her fight for awareness autism, was the guest of BFMTV story, this Wednesday, April 12. She returned with great emotion to the cause of death of her son Samy, who died at the age of 17.
“My son’s story is tragic”, Églantine Éméyé explained that her 17-year-old son died of a stroke in the spinal cord, “a very particular disorder”, she said. The facilitator wanted to reassure the parents of autistic children: “It is not because one is autistic that one dies at 17 years old. It has nothing to do “.
“He will never suffer again”
When one of the journalists asked her if she did not feel a kind of relief to think that her son was no longer in pain, Églantine Éméyé did not evade the question. “I asked my eldest son to accept this idea to help him too. I know that my eldest son was very distressed (…) at the idea that one day he would be responsible for his brother. I told him : ‘Also allow yourself ambivalent feelings and tell yourself that there is a part in you that is relieved‘”, she explained with great frankness.
“As a mom, it’s more difficult, because it’s my baby (…) but part of me clings to the idea that he will never suffer again”, confided Églantine Éméyé with emotion. The host also spoke of happy memories: “I had wonderful times with my son. I knew him well enough to know the moments of happiness he could have. His passage aroused a wave of emotion and support on social networks, Internet users saluting his dignity.
“Hang on, we’ll never let you down”
“I still feel like the mother of a disabled child today,” admitted the public service host. Very invested in raising awareness of autism among the general public, she has been publicly sharing her daily life as a mother of an autistic child and her fight to help families facing the handicap of one or more children for ten years. . In 2008, she founded the association A step towards life. The story of his fight for better management of his disease inspired a documentary, published in 2014, as well as a book, entitled “The toothbrush thief”.
This interview was also an opportunity to launch an appeal to the state: “we must create places”, enjoined Églantine Éméyé, who also revealed that, in the case of non-verbal autism, medical care could sometimes arrive a little too late. “We can have autistic children and adults who suffer for too long before a doctor agrees to look at them, treat them and understand the disease (…) It is a handicap that is very difficult to manage”, she admitted. “There are a lot (of people with autism) who sometimes have to be taken care of very very early so that families don’t sink,” said the facilitator. However, she wanted to deliver a message of support to parents of autistic children: “Hold on, we will never let you down”.