NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – Speaking out about her own battles with addiction since her dad became mayor, Chiara de Blasio told a conference that sobriety has made life worth living for her.
Taking a rare turn on the public stage, she said Tuesday she plans to devote her life to helping those with mental illness.
“One year ago, I could not have imagined that I would be standing before you today — as a sober and healthy young woman,” the 19-year old daughter of Mayor de Blasio told a mental health conference as she picked up an award from the federal Health and Human Services Department.
“One year ago, I was lost, confused, and overpowered by depression, anxiety, addiction and fear,” she revealed. “One year ago life didn’t seem worthwhile. One year later here I am and that is nothing other than a miracle.”
De Blasio got a warm embrace from her mom, Chirlane McCray, and dad on stage as she accepted an award on national children’s mental health awareness day.
Although she’s not a political pro like her dad, she smiled repeatedly during her brief remarks and got treated to standing ovations from a supportive crowd, which viewed snippets from the professional video statement released last December where Chiara de Blasio first publicly acknowledged her struggles.
She got to come on stage to the Sara Bareilles song “Brave,” and was welcomed by her dad with a kiss on the head.
Mayor de Blasio said Chiara marks each month of sobriety “with pride.”
He said that he “couldn’t be prouder because she stood up, she spoke from the heart — she worked so hard at sobriety.”
First Lady and Mom Chirlane McCray, also on stage, saluting her daughter, called it a “special day for our family.”
“She is a remarkable young woman. I’m not just proud of her, I’m in awe,” she gushed.
The mayor only indirectly referenced the turmoil that addiction and mental health issues had wrought in his own life. His father committed suicide while suffering from late-stage cancer following years of heavy drinking, the Post first reported and de Blasio briefly acknowledged during the campaign.
“In my own life in my own family, we’ve faced these demons before. My own father was an alcoholic. He could not unfortunately, tragically, find his way to this kind of help — this kind of recovery,” he said Tuesday.
The de Blasio camp didn’t describe the thinking behind the unusual on-stage reunion for a mayor still relatively new to D.C.
The event was sandwiched in between meetings de Blasio had scheduled with members of New York’s congressional delegation and House minority leader Nancy Pelosi.
Outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius also hailed Chiara de Blasio’s strength, saying it “takes a lot of courage to seek help,” and even put in a plug for her political future.
Noting that her own father was a prominent politician, Sibelius said the country needs “more father-daughter teams in history.”
And she tipped her hat to hizzoner’s daily challenges when she obliquely referenced the worst days overseeing the healthcare.gov rollout fiasco.
Even when things got bad, “I thought to myself: at least I’m not the mayor of New York City,” she said.