Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud,  Angela Kennecke talks with Heather Stang, a, thanatologist, yoga therapist, author of Mindfulness & Grief and the new guided journal, From Grief to Peace.  Stang founded the Mindfulness and Grief Institute and is the host of her own podcast by the same name. 
Stang shares how her own experiences with grief brought her to her profession and has advice for anyone suffering with loss, especially overdose loss, on how to use mindfulness to cope with the extreme pain that accompanies grief. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

While on a long car drive, Sally Ponzio heard an unmistakable voice in her heart--that of her son, Travis, who had died of overdose six months earlier. Sally says Travis gave her the lyrics to a song called, "Remember Me." She pulled over and  wrote them down as fast as she could on a napkin. Now that song has been released and Sally and the composer, Frank Ponzio, as well as singer, Eleanor Dubinsky, join Angela Kennecke to talk about the overwhelming response listeners are having to the heartfelt melody.
Sally hopes that "Remember Me," gives comfort to anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved-one and hope in its message for the living to continue to find joy in life.

You can watch the video with the song here.

*Permission was granted by Sally Ponzio, Frank Ponzio and Eleanor Dubinsky to play "Remember Me" in its entirety in this podcast. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Norma is a 52-year-old mother and grandmother. She didn't start drinking until the age of 35, but within a year, she says she was an alcoholic. She had period of sobriety, but now has new hope for long-term recovery after seeking treatment at the Avera Addiction Care Center and receiving an Emily's Hope Treatment Scholarship. 
Norma shares her story in hopes of reducing the stigma and shame surrounding addiction and encouraging. others to seek help. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

A Pennsylvania addiction medicine and family practice doctor knew there was something special about Philip, who first came to her at age 21 for substance use disorder. But despite  Dr. Aviva Fohrer's best efforts, Phil fell through the cracks in a flawed system, both in how insurance companies dictate treatment time and the lack of follow-through by the center. Phil overdosed and died on April 24, 2019.  Dr. Fohrer and Philip's mother Kate Kimbel reflect on what went wrong and are speaking out together in order to push for changes in the way addiction is treated in this country. Read Phil's story here. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

After Journalist Angela Kennecke's 21-year-old daughter, Emily, died of fentanyl poisoning in 2018, she formed Emily's Hope, a charity in her daughter's name. To date, 44 people have received Emily's Hope treatment scholarships, including 45-year-old Jeremy, a husband and father of two. Jeremy hid his addiction to alcohol for more than two decades. He credits financial help from Emily's Hope for taking away the excuse that he couldn't afford treatment, and helping propel him into recovery. He will celebrate one year in recovery in February. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Massachusetts mother, Carol Morris, has lost five out of her twelve children to overdose. Her oldest son died in 2000 and she recently lost another son in 2019. Parents who have lost a child can't imagine surviving the loss of another one. However, in the opioid epidemic it is not all that uncommon for parents to have lost more than one child to overdose. Carol says one of the thing that helps her cope is the Facebook group #NotinVain.
In this podcast she talks about each of the children she has lost: Joey in 2000, Timmothy in 2004, Lauren in 2007, Steven in 2014 and Doug in 2019. She explains her efforts to help them and her frustration that more isn't being done to end the opioid epidemic. 

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Long-time educator and author, Kris Francoeur,  lost her 20-year-old son, Sam, to fentanyl poisoning in 2013. Her book Of Grief, Garlic and Gratitude: Returning to Hope & Joy from a Shattered Life, chronicles her journey through grief and how she is able to keep the love Sam brought into the world alive. When Sam died in 2013, there was even more stigma surrounding an overdose death than there is today. Kris talks about why it was so important to her family not to hide in shame from the way Sam died. She offers advice from her experiences to families who are mourning a similar loss. 

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Susan Claire lost her 25-year-old daughter, Sharon, to overdose in 2018. She looked around for a podcast for people who have lost loved ones to overdose and couldn't find one, so she started her own.
Now she gives voice to family members who are experiencing the horrific shock and loss of losing a loved one in this way.
Contact Susan, or listen to her podcasts:
Gmail: [email protected]
iTunes:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grieving-overdose-death/id1462181055 Libsyn: http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Thousands of grief-stricken mothers who have lost children in the drug epidemic are finding one another on Facebook. Pj Champion Sallie "accidentally" started a Facebook group for grieving moms called, #NotInVain. Pj lost her 24-year-old daughter Christina Westfall to overdose in 2017. In Christina's obituary, her mother bravely wrote: "I want to share her story in the hope that lives may be saved and her death will not be in vain." Pj found a few other moms going through a similar loss and now the #NotInVain Facebook group has nearly 5,000 members. In this podcast Pj and Angela discuss how the goal of the group is to help mothers who've lost children to addiction become "warrior moms," in order to call attention to the crisis and be catalyst for change, making sure the loss of their children's lives were not in vain.

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For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Michigan Pediatrician Marcy Larson is a mother of four, who lost her 14-year-old son, Andy, in a car crash in August of 2018. She looked around for a podcast on child loss and couldn't find one, so she started her own. In her "Losing a Child: Always Andy’s Mom," podcast, Marcy interviews parents who have lost children and has found a purpose in her pain. She also chronicles coping with child loss in her blog. 
Marcy and Angela share what they have both learned in the process of blogging and podcasting about their grief and sharing it with the world. 

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For more episodes and information, just go to our website, emilyshope.charity
Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz