By Jack's mom, Lorna

Jack Ryan Driskell
Pittsford, NY
My son, Jack was 23 years-old the day he died of a heroine overdose. He didn't want to die. More than anything Jack wanted access to the health care and support he needed to stay in recovery. Sadly, he was rejected time and time again; either told he was not eligible to go into inpatient treatment, that he needed to continue with outpatient treatment until he failed at least twice, or he was eligible but a bed would not be available for several weeks. When that bed finally became available, it was six weeks too late. I pray, daily, that other families won't have to endure the same tragic outcome. Addiction does not discriminate. Please stop the insanity and treat addiction like the disease it is. Too many have lost their lives waiting for the help they so desperately need.
Growing up, Jack was an Eagle Scout and a member of Boy Scout Troop 167 in Pittsford, NY. Since his passing, there has been a brick cemented outside our local scout shop here in Rochester, NY, in his memory.
Jack was a certified EMT in New York state and an active member of Pittsford Volunteer Ambulance. He saw firsthand the devastating effects addiction had on those struggling with recovery and the loved ones who care about them; yet the grip that heroin had on him overpowered his ability to think logically, which continually led to relapse. Without access to long-term care, which is what it would have taken to undo the things that heroin did to his brain, staying in recovery was highly unlikely, and something only a lucky few are achieving.
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