By Larry's twin sister, Lorraine Lawrence (Larry) McNeill Jamaica Queens, New York My twin brother, Larry, was amazing, charming, funny, popular and the most talented drummer you’ve ever heard. We were very close. We planned out our lives together. When we were very little and said our prayers at night, we used to ask God if we could “go to heaven at the same time” because we couldn’t stand the thought of either one of us having to live without the other. I received a phone c

By RJ's sister, Jessica Robert (RJ) Small My brother, RJ, was born on March 26, 1990 - 2 months before my 6th birthday and from day one, I was completely in love. He was the sweetest, cutest little boy from the start. He came into the world quickly and never stopped moving. He was always on the go - wanting to be outside running around with the bigger kids. He fell in love with basketball when he was young and would play all night long if my parents would have let him. He cou

By Jackson's brother, Mitch Jackson Weintraub Pascoag, RI Jackson Weintraub was born June 30th, 1994, exactly two and a half years after I was. We were essentially twins, and we were inseparable for most of our lives. As a child, Jackson was a chubby little boy with a speech impediment. As a teenager, Jack was a muscle-bound stud wrestler, and as a young adult, a drummer in a band, breaking hearts and loving life. In his early 20s, addiction and mental health issues began to

By Tennyson's father, Dennis Tennyson Adam Abraham Cecchini Salt Lake City, UT Tennyson was born on 20 April 1982, the first-born son of Celeste and Dennis Cecchini. Celeste was a display designer with ZCMI and Dennis a practicing architect, both in their thirties. They relocated to Salt Lake City in 1972 after their marriage in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Tennyson was a beautiful baby boy; gregarious, inquisitive and full of the joy that a spirit invested in life can display. The fi

Michael Gagnon Connecticut Our son Michael was our first born and only son. Life was full of adventure with him around. He had the kindest green eyes and was quick to laugh. We enjoyed hiking together and going to the beach. Not a rock in our path was safe from being turned over by Michael as he looked for salamanders. He adored his sister, Daria, and his dog, Jack. He excelled in football and loved his teammates. My husband coached him for many years. The evil influence of d

By Justice's mom, Jennifer Justice Briana Croutch Tolland, CT This is my daughter’s story… My daugher, Justice Briana is one of the 144 people a day who overdose from a substance use disorder and has ultimately succumb to their disease. I’m here to tell you her story in the hopes that someday another family won’t have to face this disease alone and deal with the immense scrutiny of stigma which is preventing critical education, treatment and care for people facing this diseas

By Austin's mom, Victoria Austin Ellingson Rancho Cucamonga, CA When my phone woke me in the middle of the night, I knew in my heart this was it: this was the phone call that every parent of an addict fears. I was told they were trying to revive my son Austin and to come to his bedside as soon as I could. Austin died at an early age of 22 years. Austin was an intelligent, vivacious, caring, funny young man. He had everything going for him and was to eventually take over the f

By Dillan and Matthew's mom, Denise Dillan 7/17/91 – 12/30/10 Matthew 7/17/87 – 2/3/16 My beautiful boys, Matthew and Dillan, were born July 17, 1987 and July 17, 1991. They were born on the exact same day, only four years apart! Matthew received a beautiful baby brother on his fourth birthday and a happy meal. Matthew always said that was the best birthday ever. With beautiful dark hair, gorgeous hazel eyes and thick eyebrows, Matthew could charm the shirt right off your bac

By Alyssa's mom, Amy Alyssa Daniels Hagenbaugh Madison, Wisconsin Alyssa Daniels Hagenbaugh was born on a mild, Wisconsin winter's day on 2/12/91. I remember she had severe colic and I did everything I could to soothe her. Alyssa had the genetic makeup of addiction on both sides of her family - going back generations. Her first exposure to any type of opioid was at two years old. During a mission trip, battery acid leaked out of a portable TV onto her clothes. Alyssa was give

By JC's mom, Florence JC Conners Milwaukee, Wisconsin July 26, 1978 - August 13, 2016 My son, JC Conners came to me over five years ago worrying and wanting to get off of drugs. Unfortunately - by that time - he had little control over his addiction; his brain was shutting down and we didn't understand. On August 13, 2016 JC succumbed to the disease of addiction; he overdosed and died. He was 38 years old! How does a hard-working, healthy man become severely addicted to drug

By Cain's mom, Linda Cain Franklin Warrenton, Virginia My son Cain exhibited a unique and joyful spirit from the very beginning. At age seven he asked for a tuxedo and a Bowflex for Christmas. In the second grade Cain dressed up as Bill Gates for his private school’s "Famous People Day." Growing up, his favorite toy was a cash register and Cain would open up little shops and sell things to me. Despite excellent grades in school, he had some behavioral problems and I took him

By Jessica's mother, Michele Jessica Mary Miller Glenshaw, Pennsylvania My daughter, Jessica Mary Miller, died at the age of 31. Jessica struggled with addiction for 15 years and was also afflicted with severe mental illness. I would like to recognize that not all those who struggle with addiction die from an overdose. Jessica died at the hands of her mentally ill boyfriend. She had been in the relationship for only five months and thought she found the “love” of her life. Th

By Anthony's parents, Valerie and Cris Anthony Fiore Warrington, Pennsylvania Anthony was a true and loyal friend. After he passed away, a few young men told me stories about how they were once shy or kept to themselves, but Anthony had reached out to them and became their friend. Growing up, Anthony tried to fit in with the “good kids,” but was shunned on many occasions. He then began to change to fit into a group that would accept him. This group of friends started smoking

By Jonathan's mother, Karen Jonathan Sparks Lexington, Kentucky I lost my son to heroin on September 26, 2015. Jonathan was a sweet young man who started off on a rocky note when he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma cancer at the age of four. He battled this for a year and a half, which involved invasive treatments such as a stem cell transplant. His prognosis was very grim, but thanks be to God he made it and entered Kindergarten right before his 6th birthday. It took a long

By Zach's sister, Hannah Zach Morgan Phoenix, Arizona Growing up, my family lived in a small town in Indiana. From the outside, it would appear that not much happens in a small-town like ours – little did we know what was to come. We call ourselves the “Morgan 5” - and we will always be a family of five, even though one of us is no longer here on Earth. My brother Zach struggled with drug addiction, went through rehabilitation, relapsed after a period of sobriety, continued t

By Michael's mom, Betsy Michael Ragone Charlotte, North Carolina My son, Michael, struggled with heroin addiction for over 10 years. He died on January 17, 2016, of an accidental overdose here in his hometown of Charlotte, NC, while visiting from Phoenix Arizona. He was 30 years old. Our Michael loved fishing, football, poker, jokes, his girlfriend, family and friends. He was hysterically funny--his sense of humor was sarcastic and edgy. He used to sing songs in Italian tha

By Cody's mom, Rhonda Cody Shumway Hemet, California My first born son, Cody, was a loving, caring, brilliant, gifted and funny person. He was a joy to be around and had many friends. Cody began experimenting with drugs and alcohol at the age of 14 and very quickly we realized that he had a serious problem. After two stints of rehab during his Junior year of highschool, Cody stayed off of hard drugs for 15 years. Cody was a musical and math genius and after college he moved t

By Andy's mother, Sally Andy Zorn Phoenix, Arizona Andy was born in 1982 in Phoenix, Arizona. He had a joyful life. He made friends easily and he was always on a mission to make people laugh; as the class clown and life of the party, he often succeeded. When Andy grew older, a few of his good friends developed substance abuse issues and he took it upon himself to help them work through it. After seeing the destruction of hard drugs first-hand, he made a personal commitment to

By Corey's mother, Suzanne Corey Watson Greenfield, Massachusetts Growing up, Corey had dyslexia and other learning challenges. He was shy, quiet, and very sensitive. He loved animals and was always sympathetic to others. All of that changed on his 13th birthday on September 13, when he got hit by a car while riding his bike. He landed on his head and was taken to the ER but they didn’t find anything wrong with him. Over the next two weeks, however, he changed drastically. Hi

By John's mother, Gail John Michael Ahern and his son, Conner Rockport, Massachusetts John came into this world on September 30, 1969 in . He was the youngest of three siblings, Kathryn, Charles, and Mary, and a father to three beautiful boys, Johnny, Rian, and Connor. Growing up, John was a wonderful son--joyful, loving and compassionate. At the age of 14, he began a transition that would lead to a long, hard fought battle with addiction. Over the years, John was treated at