‘A feeling of guilt' – RTE star opens up on ‘beautiful' wife's support as he cares for mum after devastating diagnosis

The Irish Sun

12 hours ago

RTE Fair City star Johnny Ward has opened up on how his wife is his rock while he cares for his sick mother.
The actor's mum Kathy was diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also known as broken heart syndrome, after the death of her husband and Johnny's father, in 2019.
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Johnny's wife Brenda is his rock while he cares for his mum
Credit: Instagram
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Johnny's mum was diagnosed with cancer i
Credit: Instagram
Kathy has since struggled with her health battle as she later suffered a heart attack and a stroke.
After the now-73-year-old's stroke,
In March 2021 his sister Maureen moved back in with their mum while he was busy working on a project, which is when he met his wife Brenda.
Johnny's mum was diagnosed with cancer earlier last year and has "been in and out of the hospital" ever since.
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And as her condition progresses, Johnny now spends a lot of time caring for his mum.
He told The
"Even if you do get away to that weekend wedding and someone else, like your neighbour or your auntie, helps out your mum, there's an emotional attachment and that's very difficult to get rid of.
"It's a feeling of guilt, where you're thinking, 'God, what if something happens; I shouldn't be here, I should go home' and that's very difficult."
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However, with his wife Brenda by his side and acting like his rock, Johnny finds it easier to manage his inconsistent schedule and caring for his mum.
A look at tonight's episode of Fair City
He continued: "Another high was realising what a beautiful human my wife is.
"She's the same with her own parents, she prioritises them, and I loved watching the bond between my wife and my mother grow.
"My next door neighbour is like an angel, and I've rung her so many times, when I can't get through to my mother and am fearing the worst.
"She's in and out all of the time; she has a key to the house and she's checking on my mum constantly.
'UP AND DOWN'
"My family from Galway have been up and down and up and down, and they're always very supportive."
He
"It's pretty much where they take out part of the pancreas, the gallbladder and a large part of her bowel and pretty much stitch it all back together.
"It's a very serious procedure and recovery is very slow. As of now, she has been transferred over to convalescent care, so that's one step closer to getting her home from there."
The Walkinstown native shared how grateful he is to have a good support system that can also help out.
He said: "I've found myself extremely lucky, number one because of where I live. Tallaght Hospital is down the road, James's Hospital is down the road."