Michael was an incredibly hard worker—he followed in his dad’s footsteps and worked for the railroad. He never said, “no”, was so tender hearted, and silly. His sisters, Courtney and Hattie, cope with his passing from an overdose in July 2022 through humor, closeness, and strength. By telling their brother’s story, they strive to advocate for family and friends in mourning who may feel shame or that their loved one’s death didn’t matter because of the stigma of addiction. Courtney recommends reading, “Understanding Your Grief after a Drug-Overdose Death,” by Alan Wolfelt, PhD.

Jessica wanted to help others and thought about working professionally as a nurse. She loved children, would help out at summer camps, and had several babysitting positions. She was always the one people would call if they needed help. When she was around 17, she was in a car accident and was prescribed opioids for her pain. She went from using opioids to other drugs and, eventually, started using heroin, and died in 2017 at 36 from fentanyl poisoning.

Her older sister, Rosanne, tried everything in her power to help -- an intervention, rehabilitation, giving her a job in her salon, and a place to live. It’s been a five-year journey of grief therapy, workshops, and self-care to learn how to live a new normal without her sister. For her grief, Rosanne went to “Onsite”, a program that helps you gain tools to move forward https://onsiteworkshops.com/; learned “The Grief Recovery Method” through Hopeful Heart Solutions https://hopefulheartsolutions.com; and read books such as “Signs” by Laura Lynne Jackson and “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief” by David Kessler.

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida

Hannah was loyal, fierce, and lived & loved with an unmatched ferocity and intensity. Her father, Cody, said she helped those who were marginalized, forgotten, left behind, misunderstood, hurting, or abused. She put others before herself, tried to take care of them, and made sure they were safe and okay. Hannah personally struggled for years with mental health and addiction. Depression and anxiety were her forever companions in a never-ending tug of war. On October 12, 2022, Cody lost his daughter to fentanyl poisoning. He copes with his loss by honoring his daughter’s memory, listening to podcasts, and researching grief with books such as “The Grieving Brain” by Mary-Francis O’Connor, “Resilient Grieving” by Lucy Hone, and “Grieving Mindfully” by Sameet M. Kumar.

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

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Meggie describes how she and her three siblings were a close-knit group of four who faced everything together when they were growing up. However, in 2015, her older brother, Michael, 28, died from an accidental overdose which fueled a raging addiction in her mom and little sister, Bridget. In 2022, things took a turn for the worse when her mom died from liver failure due to drug and alcohol abuse and then, 40 days later, Bridget, 31, was found in her bed from an accidental overdose. Meggie copes with the loss of her two siblings with grief counseling and reading books such as “The Empty Room: Understanding Sibling Loss” by Elizabeth DeVita-Raeburn.

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida

Angela lost three of her four siblings (Nicky, Steven & Cindy): two passed away from an overdose and one from a massive heart attack. She remembers them with pictures and other special mementos, and by telling their stories. She copes by keeping busy with helping to raise her sisters’ children, plus listening to grief podcasts, attending grief meetings, and reading books such as, “It’s OK That You’re NOT OK” by Megan Devine. She also plans to participate in National Fentanyl Awareness Day sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). You can find more information here: https://www.fentanylawarenessday.org/

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida

Jack was an excellent student, and enjoyed sports throughout his elementary and high school years. He graduated from college with a major in actuarial science and landed his first job. But his mother, Maribeth, said he worked very long hours, and although he sometimes said he enjoyed it, she thought the isolation and long hours were very stressful for him. He left his job and eventually became a bicycle courier. He suffered for 10 years from depression, and later developed an addiction to heroin. Maribeth said that Jack's pain became unbearable and he died in his home at the age of 35. Maribeth shares a tribute to her son at: https://www.forevermissed.com/jack-heston/about

She also thinks about the following philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche and quoted by Joseph Campbell: “Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called ‘the love of your fate.’ Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, ‘This is what I need.’ It may look like a wreck, but go at it as though it were an opportunity, a challenge. If you bring love to that moment—not discouragement—you will find the strength is there. Any disaster you can survive is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege! This is when the spontaneity of your own nature will have a chance to flow.”

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida

Nickoli was a beautiful soul who never felt like he was heard or loved. His mother died from an overdose when he was very young, he didn’t know his father, and he was shuffled among family until he landed in his forever home with his adoptive mom, Angelique. From the day he joined her family, he called her mom and her children considered him an older brother. He passed away from a fentanyl overdose when he was only 18 in 2021. This epidemic is horrible and is taking our youth, says Angelique who prays, listens to grief podcasts, and joined Facebook groups to cope.

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida

Brandi had a typical childhood: she participated in sports, dance, girl scouts; went on family vacations; and had lots of family get-togethers. But as she got older, she became argumentative and got into a lot of trouble. It wasn’t until her sister, Kaylee, was taking a psychology course that she determined that her sister fit the description of someone with bipolar disorder. At first Brandi smoked pot but got mixed up with opioids after this was prescribed after her second pregnancy. She passed away from an overdose at 39 after a life of struggling with addiction. Kaylee advises not to go it alone when dealing with grief, and to join a grief group or go through one-to-one counseling.

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida

Aaron loved music, debating, and getting together with friends and family. He was also an avid reader and taught himself to read before he even started school. His mom, Sheryl, was his biggest fan. However, Aaron dropped out of school at a young age and started down the wrong path. After he turned 22, Sheryl got the call that no parent wants to get. At first, Sheryl coped by listening to this podcast and later joined with other moms who lost a child. She felt very strongly about paying it forward with her own story since she learned by listening to others.

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida

Josh was a great person who happened to have both the disease of addiction and the disease of depression. It was his birth father who introduced Josh to heroin when he was 13 years old, setting up his path to a lifelong habit. He overdosed from fentanyl poisoning in a sober house in 2016 when he was 32, leaving behind his beautiful daughter, Grace. He is still remembered by so many today, according to his mom, Susan. He bought food for struggling addicts, helped addicts get to meetings, and helped one person get recovery through giving money toward a ticket out of town. Susan copes through her artwork (featured on Instagram: SusanCarr88), and by listening to “Ram Dass: Here and Now”.

If you would like to tell your story about an overdose death, please contact Susan Claire at [email protected]

http://grievingoverdosedeath.libsyn.com/

Music provided by La Atlántida