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

When Logan Williams died at the age of 16 on April 2, 2020, it made headlines because of his roles in movies and TV shows. His mom, Marlyse Williams, recently went public with the fact that Logan died of fentanyl poisoning. He had struggled with addiction issues since a young age, but Marlyse doesn't blame his acting career. She and Angela Kennecke share their similar struggles with trying to...

30-year-old Samantha "Sam" was an artist, a model and a teacher. But this beautiful young woman kept a secret that was both painful and shameful to her: she had struggled with heroin addiction. Although she had started a career as a teacher and gotten married, her past always haunted her. In this podcast, Sam's mom, Kerry, shares her story and why she feels addiction resulted in Sam...

The struggle for families dealing with a child or partner suffering from substance use disorder can be frustrating and overwhelming. Dave Jansa tried everything to help his son, Kevin. Nothing worked until he found SMART Recovery. Jansa has served as a peer addiction management coach, a peer loved one coach, director of partner relations, national trainer and most recently the Face It TOGETHER pro...

Shortly after the death of her daughter, Emily, Angela Kennecke got an email from Fiona Cullinan Firine. Fiona had lost her son Cameron to fentanyl poisoning just a couple of months before Emily died. She was discouraged by the lack of criminal prosecution against the dealer who supplied Cameron with what looked like and Oxycontin pill. Fiona wrote Angela out of frustration and Angela encouraged h...

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, fake prescription pills are flooding the market in the United States. They look exactly like the real thing, but often contain the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl. In this episode, Angela Kennecke talks with DEA Agent Travis Ocken about the problem and his advice for parents in dealing with drug issues that are killing tens-of-thousands of mostly...

"Grief is untamed," Ryan Blomberg's mother Denise said. Ryan died of fentanyl poisoning at age 26. Ryan was gifted in music and with languages. After a battle with heroin use, Ryan found long-term recovery. Only after the overdose deaths of two friends, Ryan relapsed and died. His mother shares his story and what she learned during his recovery and how she is coping with the loss of...

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. Alex...

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 o...

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.  Send us Fan Mail Su...

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 Menta...

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 t...

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 no...

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 interventi...

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 fi...

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 educa...

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 journ...

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Joshua Sharfstein from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health . He has co-authored a book with his wife, Dr. Yngvild Olsen, titled " The Opioid Epidemic: What Everyone Needs to Know." Dr.. Sharfstein discusses the causes and ineffective methods now used to address substance use disorder, along with best practices to end this public health crisis...

In Episode 7, Steve Grant shares the story of losing both his sons, his only two children, to overdose. Chris and Kelly died five years apart, but both succumbed to substance use disorder. Steve's ordeal is unimaginable, but somehow he has managed to create a new life for himself. He found healing through giving back and helping others. He started Chris and Kelly's HOPE Foundation and ha...

In this episode of "Grieving Out Loud" Angela Kennecke interviews Psychiatrist, Dr. Matt Stanley, the Medical Director of the new Avera Addiction Care Center opening in October of 2019. Dr. Stanley explains addiction as a disease, discusses the long-held stigma around it and the response of the medical community. He also addresses new ways of viewing how people should get help and how lo...

Two women, both named Rebecca, have each been in recovery from methamphetamine addiction for more than a decade. Now they are determined to give back and open a series of sober living homes to help others recover in their community. To find out more and how to help with the Oxford House Sober Living Homes contact: Siouxfallsoxfordhouse@gmail.com Click here for more on Emily's Hope! Send us Fa...

In this episode of "Grieving Out Loud," Angela Kennecke interviews mother Sara Crosby. Sara has three children; two of them are twin boys. One of her twins developed substance use disorder, which started in his teen years, but intensified after he went away to college. Sara is a trained social worker, but nothing could have prepared her for the treacherous journey of her son's addic...

In this episode of "Grieving Out Loud," Angela Kennecke shares how two of Emily's friends recently overdosed and lived after getting Narcan. From their frantic parents, to the confusion over how to get help, it's an eye-opening podcast on the powerful hold the opioid epidemic has on young people. For more information and how to get help go to our Emily's Hope Website Send...

In this episode of "Grieving Out Loud," mother Melissa Flynn talks about losing her 25-year-old stepson Nicholas to a fentanyl overdose. Melissa and Angela talk about their frustration in trying to get their children help and what they have learned during this difficult journey that may be of help to other parents.  Send us Fan Mail Support the show Connect with Angela Follow Grieving Ou...

Journalist Angela Kennecke shares her vision for this podcast as an advocate in the opioid epidemic to stop the stigma. In this episode Angela talks about the phone call she received that her daughter, Emily, had overdosed.  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...