Amber Portwood and brother say father’s death is a cautionary tale

Amber Portwood’s father, Shawn Portwood, passed away last week — but both Amber and her brother, Shawn Portwood Jr., take comfort knowing others can learn from their dad’s story.

“My sister, @AmberLPortwood and I are truly devastated by the loss of our father but his death will not be in vain,” Shawn tweeted this weekend. “Much can be learned from his life and what eventually lead to his death. He was ill and his lifestyle attributed to that illness. He suffered and was in pain constantly. He was far too young to die and left us before we were ready.”

Shawn continued to say his father was sober for 10 years before his death, but still “lived with the pain.” Shawn said he knows his dad would want others to learn from his experience.

“A major lesson to be learned is that you must take care of yourself and give yourself the best chance possible to live a pain free and healthy life. Although your actions may seem to be non important today, they may have lasting implications that can lead to much heartache and pain for your loved ones,” he said. “Everyone knows of @AmberLPortwood’s addiction and should know that ultimately addiction led to my father’s death and he would want everyone to learn from that. If you are having trouble with addiction or just feel that you need to make some changes in your life than keep in mind it is #NEVERTOOLATE.”

Amber retweeted some of Shawn’s messages in addition to her own request for prayers…

I just want to say thank you to everyone for all your kind words.This is a heartbreaking time for my family your prayers help..love always

— Amber Portwood (@AmberLPortwood) December 18, 2014

Our thoughts remain with the Portwood family.