Grieving Overdose Death

Cathy Williams is a body-based healing and creative arts therapy expert, and founder of Intuitive Self. She helps people reconnect with their intuition through somatic and expressive arts. An award-winning author and speaker, Cathy draws on her personal healing journey to support others in reclaiming their body, mind, and heart. With over 17 years in community development and social justice, she b...

Alec, affectionately known as "Fuego" for his vibrant spirit, was a joyful, curious young man whose natural athletic talent, academic sharpness, and deep devotion to family—especially his daughter, Kylie—made him beloved in his community. Despite a stable upbringing and multiple attempts at rehabilitation, Alec's life was tragically cut short at 25 by a fentanyl‑related overdose in 2022, leaving b...

Graham loved playing soccer, spending time with family, and hanging out with friends, but everything shifted in sixth grade when he fell in with kids who got into trouble and he began using drugs and alcohol. His struggles deepened over the years as he was bullied for being gay and was introduced to heroin by a childhood friend who later died of an overdose. His mother, Wesley, remembers that when...

Frankie was the third-born of triplets, arriving after his two sisters. His mother, Ellen, recalls his early years as charmed—filled with joyful vacations, engaging activities, and an infectious sense of humor. Frankie was the smallest kid with the biggest laugh, known for his wild jokes, imaginative stories, and a vocabulary all his own. As he entered middle school, challenges emerged. Being the...

Johnna was a fearless and capable child, but a learning disability diagnosis seemed to mark the beginning of her struggles. Her mother, Kelli, believes this led to self-esteem issues, which were worsened by incidents like being bullied in school and the loss of loved ones. These painful experiences contributed to a lifelong dependence on drugs—an addiction Johnna fiercely protected. As a nurse, Ke...

While working for the railroad, Matt had a bad accident that injured his spine. After spinal surgery, he was prescribed opioids that eventually led to his addiction. His daughter, Heather, talks about her loving relationship with her dad and how she is broken hearted to have lost him in October 2022. Heather tells others not to blame themselves for what happened and to recognize they did what they...

Cameron was fun-loving, intelligent, compassionate, athletic, and talented who made his mom, Denise, very proud. After taking a counterfeit pill, he overdosed and lost his life when he was 23, even though his friends administered Narcan. Denise is on a mission to tell others that Narcan alone is not enough—911 must also be called. She reached out to Scott Silverman, a crisis coach, family navigato...

Sheree and Vinnie were not only sister and brother, but also best friends. They were three years apart and went through everything in life together. Vinnie had a beautiful spirit and was an amazing person. Sheree's brother-in-law, Jorge, was in the family for 15 years and was more like a little brother. He had the purest heart of anyone she had ever met. Sadly, both passed away from an accidental...

Joel excelled at writing. He wrote his first book when he was in the second grade and later won an award for an essay about his grandfather. He also loved to write song lyrics and developed an ability to rap when he was in high school. With his lyrics and music, he developed a following for his band , The Even Keel . Joel struggled with drugs for many years and passed away from an accidental overd...

If you wanted to find Blake, you only had to go to the fire station down the street from his house. At a very young age, he already knew that he wanted to be a fire fighter. He was an excellent violin player and enjoyed karate. He was introduced to drugs from an acquaintance of his girlfriend at a young age. He sought help and was sober for a long period of time until troubles came his way while h...

Charles (also known as Buddy) was an old soul. At a very young age, he would sit and talk to his aunt like he was the same age, and he treasured his family. He loved to travel, had lots clothes, and collected all types of sneakers. He was prescribed a pain medication after a serious car accident that started him on the road to his addiction. He passed away in April 2022 when he was 34. His mother,...

Becca was a wild child who grew into a confident, young adult and was able to talk to anybody. Her passions included animals, theater and music. She was also a talented artist who fell in love with tattoos and thought of the human body as a canvas. After a tragic event in her early teens, she self-medicated with marijuana and then other drugs. In January 2021, she passed away at 22 from fentanyl p...

Stephen lit up any room he walked into and was the guy who made others laugh. He was a musician who played guitar and piano, a welder who used his talents to make artwork, and a world traveler. His addiction to pain medication began soon after having a wisdom tooth extracted while he was in the navy. His addiction progressed over ten years until he died from fentanyl poisoning in March 2022 at the...

Samantha was stubborn, strong-willed, and struggled with authority. However, she also loved fiercely, was passionate in what she believed in, and was always there when you needed a friend. Her sister, Brittany, would call her about everything and knew she could always count on her. When Samantha broke up with her boyfriend of eight years, she turned to an old friend for companionship who was deali...

David had a great job, loved hunting, sports, and was very involved with his family. His cousin, Rosalie, describes him as a "boy's boy." In April 2021, Rosalie received a call from one of his three brothers telling her the tragic news—David had passed away due to an accidental overdose. She copes with her grief by remembering her cousin through poetry. Below are two of her poems dedicated to her...

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 th...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 b...

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 overdos...

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 smoke...

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 podc...

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, accordin...