Honoring Kayla

Kayla was only 23 years old when I lost her to a heroin overdose last October. My daughter tried very hard to get sober and even moved to California from our home in Kansas City to go to rehab. For seven months she was doing well, but then she relapsed.

After her death, I decided to be open about what happened. I began telling her story because Kayla would want me to do that.

Before she died, Kayla wanted to become a counselor for others suffering from addiction. So I decided to do something to help people going through what my daughter went through. I decided to walk in the Shatterproof Rise Up Against Addiction Walk/Run 5K in Kansas City.

The 5K was something I could do in her honor. I could pay tribute to her by keeping her memory alive and helping others affected by this heart-wrenching disease.

On June 11, the morning of the 5K, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it would be an emotional day. But when I arrived, I was touched by the amount of people there. To see so many walkers and runners who were going through the same thing was eye opening and comforting because we could all relate to each other.

God was definitely present that day. I could actually feel the love in the air. Honestly, it was the best day I’d had since losing my Kayla. I felt empowered.

Shatterproof is a wonderful organization that’s working on effective ways to help people devastated by this disease. I am so happy I had the opportunity to support them and honor Kayla.

Originally published in January 2018.