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

Alexa Giebink's memoir Phoenix: Rising From Addiction is the true story of a family who battled their way out of the fires of addiction and rose together, stronger from the ashes. Mary Ann Giebink was a successful attorney who lost her career and her reputation because of alcoholism and depression. When her daughter, Alexa, was a junior in high school, her mother was sentenced to prison. Alexa explains how her world view has been shaped by having a parent who suffers from substance use disorder and what she's learned along the way.
You can learn more about Alexa's book here.
Her mother is now a trained interventionist. You can hear the podcast where Angela talks with Mary Ann here. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Jessica Pfau has battled opioid and alcohol addiction ever since her 2011 gastric bypass surgery. Jessica has made several attempts at recovery and blown all the chances given to her by the legal system. After overdosing on heroin laced with fentanyl in March, and surviving, Jessica must now say goodbye to her three-year-old son and serve her time. She's giving us an inside look at the mind of an addict and why "they just don't quit."
You can watch Jessica's story here.

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Angela Kennecke have a conversation about the personal toll addiction takes on families; whether or not South Dakota's new anti-meth campaign can be effective, despite the ridicule; and how the State plans to make more treatment available to people.
Take this link for more information on SD's new controversial anti-meth campaign. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Rimrock in one of the largest treatment centers in Montana, serving adults and adolescents with substance use and co-occurring disorders. Rimrock views addiction as a whole person illness affecting an individual’s emotional, physical, spiritual and social well-being. Angela Kennecke was recently the keynote speaker at the Montana 2019 Symposium – The Future of Addiction Medicine: Advances in Mental Health & Addiction Treatment. She sat down with Rimrock CEO Lenette Kosovich to talk about how far we’ve come and where we have yet to go in the treatment of substance use disorder. 

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

The author of the book, And Then, We Laughed: A Memoir of Hope & Healing, shares the trauma that plagued her childhood and resulted in her own alcoholism. Delaine Shay's family struggled to come to terms with the fact that her father accidentally ran over and killed her brother. After decades of drinking, Shay eventually chose recovery and now has a mission to help others find their way to healing.  Shay is now part of Faith Communities Facing Addiction, a group of churches working to bring down the stigma attached to to substance use disorder. She heads an addiction ministry program in her own church.
Learn more about Shay's book here.

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Mark McManus started Power for Abundant Recovery Ministries. McManus took his first drink at age 11 and has battled alcoholism. While he has been in recovery for decades, he also faced addiction as a parent of two sons, who have struggled with similar issues. In this podcast, McManus shares his insights into addiction and why he started a faith-based recovery organization out of Montana. PAR is now spreading nationwide.
Learn more about Power for Abundant Recovery,

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

In this episode, Mary Ann Giebink tells her story of addiction and the turmoil it caused in her life. This once successful attorney eventually ended up in prison. But for nearly a decade, she has worked on her own recovery and is now helping others get into treatment. Giebink is an ARISE* Interventionist. Giebink uses her legal knowledge and personal experience with addiction to conduct interventions with families. To learn more about Mary Ann's work visit Addiction Solution 605. 

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Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

In this episode, Angela Kennecke talks with fellow mother, Barb Olson. Barb lost her daughter, Caitlyn "Cat" in 2018 in a horrific car crash. Olson has started a non-profit to carry on her daughter's legacy and love for reading and education. Both Angela and Barb discuss dealing with grief, the unfairness of the justice system and channeling their grief into charity work. You can find out more about the "Live Like Cat Foundation" by taking this link. 

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

In this episode Dr. Mark VandeBraak, a a board certified music therapist and thanatologist (grief educator) talks about the symptoms of a broken heart after someone we love dies. He shares four ways that grief affects us and gives us tools for coping with significant loss.
As a music therapist, Dr. VandeBraak leads daily music groups for all behavioral health inpatients. He facilitates grief education support groups for adults and groups specifically for those experiencing child and infant loss. He combines his knowledge of grief and music to assist individuals in traveling through their grief journey. Mark is recognized as a fellow in thanatology by the Association for Death Education and Counseling. He contributed Chapter 4, "The Berafian Model," to the book Children Surviving Traumatic Death, by Gerry R. Cox and Robert G. Stevenson, published 2018.

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Mothers Angela Kennecke and Celia Farmer are now part of a club that no one wants to join. Celia lost her 14-year-old daughter, Mali, to suicide. Angela and Celia share how they have coped and what has helped them, as well as what has not. Both agree that reaching outside of themselves to help others is among one of the most healing things they have done. They share their reflections on this journey through grief in this podcast. 

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Follow Grieving Out Loud

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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