Casey Jo Schulte

Casey Jo was full of hopes and dreams that all young adults share. She was studying to be a nurse like her mom, and truly loved working with people. She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 18 years old. That diagnosis resulted in numerous surgeries and complications that resulted in prescribed pain medications. Addiction came quickly and without warning. She struggled to see herself as someone with an addiction. After all, these were medications prescribed by her doctor. How could this be her fault? Finally, after years of concern, we were able to convince her to go to a facility to help her medically detox from her medications. And then she discovered heroin. Unfortunately, her body was found in her garage the day before she was to be admitted. She was 26 years old. Her death was ruled a suicide, investigated as a homicide, but was absolutely the result of her addiction to opioids. Our hearts are forever shattered, our memories of her are too few, she wanted so much in life. She wanted children so badly, a family of her own. Casey Jo deserved much more than this, but most of all, she deserved to trust a medical system designed to help heal her, not kill her.