Grieving Overdose Death

At a very young age, Jackson found a love of music which propelled him into a career as a musician and actor. He appeared in the 2011 film "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer", and the ABC sitcom "The Goldbergs" as Ari Caldwell. He also performed in episodes of "Modern Family" and "Arrested Development". His music was featured in "Forever My Girl". Jodi talks about how drugs became part of her s...

Michael C. was a spontaneous and creative person who lived his life with compassion and without judgment. In junior high school, he developed an interest in skateboarding and it became a huge part of his life. However, he also discovered alcohol and drugs, which may have helped with his anxiety but also changed his outlook on life. He progressed in his addiction until he died at 23 from an acciden...

Cherish fell in love with Mitchell who was tall and handsome soon after they met. There was a special bond they shared right from the start of their relationship. They moved in and were expecting a baby when Mitchell's addiction became out of control. He tried rehab and was his old self but it didn't last long, and he died from an accidental overdose in January 2019 after five years together. Cher...

Ellen's daughter, Saige, 23, overdosed and died in an airport bathroom in 2018 waiting for an airplane to take her to a California rehab with her ticket still clutched in her hand. Addiction took over after Saige was prescribed oxycodone by her dentist after having her four wisdom teeth extracted. Ellen is working with her legislator to pass a bill for dentists to ask patients about family history...

Vincenza's son Michael passed away over two years ago in February 2017 from an accidental overdose when he was 27. He was the clown of the family and entertained his brother, sister and parents with the entire Monty Python script. He loved to draw, work with metal, and dreamt of traveling the country in a converted bus. Whatever he did, he was very driven and in put in his whole heart and soul. Vi...

Alice's husband Jeffrey passed away in September 2017 from an accidental overdose when he was in his late 50s. They were married for over 10 years when this unexpected tragedy occurred, and has caused angry feelings between her and her husband's family. Jeffrey loved horses, traveled all over the world, and spent over 20 years in the computer industry. Alice is trying to move on and learn to live...

Brenda's son, Garrett, died in a hotel room almost a year ago at the age of 37. His passions included cars and football. In fact, he was born on a Super Bowl Sunday. His favorite team was the Philadelphia Eagles in which Brenda still cheers on and looks forward to watching. He attended college where he studied political science and computers. Besides his mom, he leaves behind a brother and sister,...

Carol's daughter, Melly, died at home a year-and-a-half ago at the age of 21. Melly was a petite blonde with a smile that would light up a room, and who had the cutest voice and the sweetest personality. She loved painting, gardening, shopping, make-up and hair, and had aspirations of one day being a chef. Carol feels there should be changes in how law enforcement officials handle overdoses and ha...

James' son, Jeffrey, died four years ago at the age of 24. Jeffrey shared in running the family's bicycle shop and had a unique way of connecting to all people regardless of their status. He loved working in the business so much that his goal was to eventually run his own place. James says he grieves publicly about his son's death from an accidental overdose and has organized many outreach project...

Lea's daughter, Hannah, died three years ago when she was 21. Lea talks about how her young life was cut short after a promising career in nursing, her personal struggles after finding Hannah in her bedroom when she was unaware of her addiction, how she is coping by connecting through others with a local grief group called "You Are Not Alone", and living the life that Hannah would have wanted for...

This podcast was created to give a voice to those who have lost someone close to them from an accidental overdose. Everyday people will be interviewed to celebrate the life of their loved one who died from an overdose and to remember this person as more than their addiction. We will explore how others cope and pass on this information to others who are grieving and feel they have nowhere to turn....