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

Identical twins often share an extraordinary bond—shaped not only by shared DNA but by a deep emotional connection. For Christa Parravani and her twin sister, Cara, that bond was strengthened by a difficult, abusive childhood. But then came the unimaginable. After Cara was kidnapped and raped, she spiraled into trauma, eventually turning to drugs. Tragically, she died from fentanyl poisoning.

Christa was shattered. Grief, depression, and an eating disorder took hold. But in the depths of her pain, she began to write Her: A Memoir—a powerful and widely acclaimed book that helped her reclaim her voice and purpose.

In the third and final episode of "What About Us? Stories of Sibling Grief", Christa opens up about her darkest moments, her journey toward healing, and how she’s now using her story to give others hope in the face of unimaginable loss.

If you liked this episode, listen to the other two episodes in our sibling grief series:

He Couldn’t Save His Brother, But He’s Working to Save Yours and Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

There’s something uniquely powerful about the bond between siblings. They’re like built-in best friends — there for the good, the bad, and everything in between. But when someone loses a brother or sister, their grief is often overlooked. Many people focus on the parents or the children and forget that siblings are mourning too.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we continue our series on sibling loss with Will Rops. Will not only lost his oldest brother, Justin, to fentanyl poisoning, but he also grew up watching him struggle with substance use disorder.

Now, after that devastating loss, Will is fighting to make a difference — pushing to get emergency naloxone available at Minnesota state colleges. Hear how Will is turning his grief into action through legislation making its way through the Minnesota legislature, in this episode of Grieving Out Loud.

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

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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

In this deeply personal episode of Grieving Out Loud, host Angela Kennecke sits down with her own children to talk about the very public loss of their sister, Emily, who died of fentanyl poisoning in 2018. While the nation saw the news story, what it didn’t see was the quiet heartbreak that unfolded behind closed doors. 

In episode one of What About Us? Stories of Sibling Grief, each sibling shares how Emily’s death changed them—how they grieve, how they’ve grown, and what they want others to know about life after unimaginable loss. It’s the start of a powerful new series on sibling grief, with raw honesty, love, and hope at its heart.

There’s more to come—join us in the next few episodes as we continue sharing stories of siblings navigating life after loss.

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

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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

Sometimes, life delivers blow after blow, leaving you gasping for air. Whether it’s the loss of a job, a home, or someone you love, grief can feel all-consuming—like joy may never return. For Betsy Stephenson, the heartbreak came in rapid succession. Within just six weeks, she lost her mother-in-law to dementia, her family dog to cancer, and—most devastating of all—her son to suicide. But instead of allowing the grief to swallow her whole, Betsy turned to writing.

Through raw, unfiltered reflections captured in real time, she began to process her pain and offer hope to others walking through similar darkness. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Betsy shares her journey through unimaginable loss, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and what inspired her to publish her intimate memoir, Blackbird. Her story is both deeply emotional and quietly courageous—a reminder that even in the darkest skies, light still finds a way through.

If you liked this episode, listen to these episodes next:

• Broken Heart Syndrome: 4 Ways We Grieve
• A mother's grief journey and how it changed her life

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

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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

As more states legalize marijuana, its use is on the rise across the country. A recent analysis of National Survey on Drug Use and Health data shows that daily marijuana consumption has now surpassed daily alcohol use. But for one grieving mother, the growing acceptance of the drug comes with an urgent warning—where it comes from matters, and one bad decision can be deadly. Paula Santos-Young says she lost her son, Andrew, after he unknowingly consumed marijuana laced with a deadly substance. Hear her heartbreaking story, how she’s raising awareness about the growing danger, and what she says all Americans need to know. 

If you liked this episode, listen to Mother Blames Cannabis-induced Psychosis for Son’s Death next!

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

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Wishing you faith, hope and courage!

Podcast producers:
Casey Wonnenberg King & Kayli Fitz

Social media can be a great way to connect with friends and family, but do you really know what your child is doing online? The DEA warns that drug networks are increasingly using these platforms to find new customers, while sex traffickers also exploit them to lure victims. Now, the FBI is raising alarms about a rise in violent online networks targeting kids.

Julianna Arnold’s mother knows these dangers all too well. Since her 17-year-old daughter's death, she has been searching for answers about what happened in the hours leading up to that tragic moment. What she’s uncovered is deeply unsettling—her daughter met someone on social media, had sex with a much older man, and ultimately died from fentanyl poisoning.

Now, she is speaking out to warn parents about the hidden dangers of social media while calling on tech companies to do more to protect children from harm.

If you liked this episode, listen to Mother spearheads lawsuit against Snapchat in wake of teen’s fentanyl fatality next!

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

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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

As the United States continues to grapple with a deadly opioid crisis, Narcan—a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses—has become more accessible. Experts credit this expanded availability as one reason overdose deaths have declined over the past year. But Narcan can only save a life if someone is there to administer it—and that’s not always the case. Many people struggling with substance use disorder use drugs alone, whether out of shame, fear of judgment, or simply because they have no one they can trust. So how do you save lives when one bad dose can be deadly, and the people most at risk are suffering in silence?

A unique hotline called SafeSpot is helping answer that question. The service offers a lifeline—someone to stay on the line while a person uses drugs and calls for help if something goes wrong. On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, you’ll hear from the director of SafeSpot and a woman who says the hotline is the reason she’s still alive today.

Listen to the original hotline call on This American Life: The Call

If you enjoyed this episode, listen to TV Anchors step up with naloxone training to fight the opioid crisis next!

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

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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

Nicolas Getz once had a very specific image of what someone suffering from drug addiction looked like—a person panhandling on the street, wearing tattered clothing. But in his 20s, he learned firsthand that addiction doesn’t fit a single stereotype.

Substance use disorder affects 48.5 million Americans, or 17 percent of the population. Getz became part of that statistic, struggling with opioid addiction and grappling with the guilt of how it impacted his family, his future, and himself.

He recalls knowing, even in the depths of his addiction, that his actions were causing harm. But recovery was possible—with help. Now in recovery, Getz is sharing his story to break the stigma around addiction and offer hope to others facing similar struggles.

If you liked this episode, listen to A middle-class family man’s journey into homelessness and heroin next.

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

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Suggest a Guest

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

Peter and Erica Zurkow never imagined they would be part of a nationwide TV special—especially for a reason that once felt unimaginable. They thought their 23-year-old son, Henry, was safe in his own home, sleeping soundly in his bedroom. But in reality, he was in danger. The pill he purchased through Craigslist turned out to be deadly.

In this emotional episode of Grieving Out Loud, the Zurkows share their heartbreaking story, what they wish they had known sooner, and how they’re now working to raise awareness in hopes of preventing more tragic deaths.

Peter's Boston Globe Article, "I wrote this to save a life" 

If you liked this episode, listen to Former college coach speaks out after losing standout athlete son to fentanyl next.

TV Special:

Part 1: Saving a Generation: The Fentanyl Crisis 

Part 2: The Next Generation: Breaking Fentanyl's Grip

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Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

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

As more states legalize marijuana, its use is becoming increasingly normalized—even among teenagers. According to the latest data from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in four high school seniors reported using cannabis in the past year. But on today’s episode of Grieving Out Loud, a grieving mother is warning others about the risks.

Laura Stack wasn’t overly concerned when her 14-year-old son admitted to trying marijuana at a party. But what started as experimentation quickly spiraled into addiction. Laura believes cannabis-induced psychosis played a devastating role in her son’s death, and now she’s on a mission to educate others. Through her nonprofit, Johnny’s Ambassadors, she’s raising awareness about the dangers of high-potency marijuana and its impact on young minds.

In this emotional episode, hear Laura’s heartbreaking story and the urgent message she wants every parent to know. Plus, an addiction medicine doctor weighs in on why he believes marijuana is a gateway drug and how it affects the developing brain.

Help is available: https://emilyshope.charity/help/

If you liked this episode, listen to this one next: Grief, marijuana, and addiction: A conversation about cannabis use disorder

Cannabis-related news: 

Adolescents who use cannabis are at higher risk of psychotic disorders, according to new research

Teens more prone to cannabis use disorder than adults, new study finds

Marijuana gummies hospitalize 11 New York middle schoolers

Largest study on cannabis and brain function finds long-term impact on memory

Send us Fan Mail

Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Support the show

Connect with Angela

Follow Grieving Out Loud

Follow Emily's Hope

Read Angela’s Blog

Subscribe to Grieving Out Loud/Emily’s Hope Updates

Suggest a Guest

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