The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

On November 6, 2011 I lost my only child, my son Cody! Absolute worst day of my life! Cody was full of life and very athletic, playing basketball and baseball both of which he was very good at! Pitching over 100 mph at the age of on 15, he probably had a bright future ahead of him until he just started doing heroin! At first we didn't even believe him. We thought it was for more attention and he didn't know what he was doing, due to the fact he was saying that sometimes he snorted it and sometimes he smoked it! "We were like what the heck"? We thought we were ok because heroin was only done through needles! So we thought! We definitely knew nothing about heroin at all! Until one day I, his mother, walked in on him in the garage trying to give himself a "dose" as he called it! I couldn't believe it and that's when I realized he's not joking and this was real! I brought him to California, away from everything he knew, hoping for a new start! Three months later it started again. We fought with him about who he hung around with and tried to put him in some kind of treatment center or detox facility, however, in the state of California, at least at that time, there wasn't one who would take him even with his parents consent if he didn't want to be there! Which made us furious due to the fact that he was a minor! Why was it you could force an adult but a child could make the decision of not going to treatment! My opinion, you would have better luck with a child then an adult. I called the police on him, but he was not a bad child, so I was not trying to get him in any kind of trouble. I just wanted help on a path of where to start. At least some options! But nothing! So again I took my son to a motel, where he was not left alone. It was only me, his girlfriend, and himself! No one knew where we were. He had no contact with anyone at all. Not even his stepfather knew! However, I did allow him to smoke pot because it did help him with the nausea, and helped him to be able to eat at least a little and honestly I had no limit to how much he smoked of it! I was prepared to spend every second with my son, my world. I watched my child in the worst excruciating pain and agony, throwing up, he was somewhat violent but it was the drugs not my son! I did this 30 straight days and it was worth it! But it didn't last! He was clean about 30 more days and then relapsed because he and his girlfriend got in a huge fight and I was admitted into the hospital due to my kidneys. I think he felt alone and not wanted. He was my absolute everything. My worst fear was losing him to that drug, and promised if that day happened I would follow! I often wonder what was so much more important about that heroin than his own mother? I think of him 24 hours a day still! The officers here made me feel like it was just another kid off the street on drugs! They only investigated it about five months and dropped it! Came to find out my son was the seventh person in my small city alone under the age of 17 to pass away under the age of 21 in a period of 30 days from the same batch of heroin! Still, it was less kids on drugs and on the streets to them. For me, it makes me thankful that finally authorities are stepping up and trying to finally come up with some support and help for other children who are suffering out there, and giving them hope! But look at how many lost their child and the drug dealers are still out there running the streets and giving young children the drugs!! I myself have learned who gave my son his heroin, and his dealer is a well known heroin dealer now, but cannot prove he was there at that time!! But he'll admit he was at the house that particular day looking to buy a so called cell phone from my son! This is a lie but I couldn't prove it so he's off running the street daily with no remorse for what has become as a result of his actions! It kills me every day! I just wanted to share my story so other parents could have maybe a little feeling of they aren't alone, and I really hope other grieving parents have had at least some kind of closure of wether the dealer was sentenced or maybe more options to help children in their community with the same addiction! I want to know that the loss of my child at least helped other communities step up and try to fight this epidemic that's so out of control!! We should never as parents have to say goodbye to our children! That's not how it's suppose to be! I love you my son!

CODY JAMES O'DONNELL
10/3/94- 11/6/11
Always remembered but never forgotten!!!

Casey started rebelling in his early teens, skipping school, smoking cigarettes and pot, and drinking. His father and I tried everything to stop him, counseling, rehab, etc. But at 16 Casey chose drugs and the people who would support his bad choices over his family. By age 17 Casey had dropped out of school and lived with various friends and on and off with his father and me (in our separate homes) over the next nine years. The stays with his father and I didn't last long, because of his drug use. Once in his 20s his drug of choice became heroin. His father and I had no idea that he had was using heroin, that came to light in 2016.

2017 Casey was in and out of rehab several times, refusing to complete the program after detox. He continued his spiral down and by December was living in his brother's car with his addicted girlfriend.

In January 2018 after several ODs and jail time, Casey completed a full rehab program and began living with me and my husband in February. For almost four months, Casey was doing better than we all expected, working, getting the Vivitrol shot. It was such a great time (not without a few blips) doing puzzles, cooking, watching movies, listening to his hilarious impressions--it was so amazing for me. In June, he relapsed and we had no idea he was using again.

The morning of June 22nd, I found Casey. He had overdosed and was gone. I always thought he would beat the addiction, I knew it was going to be hard but I thought his love for life was stronger, but I was wrong. His addiction was a disease, not a choice. I miss him every day, I think about June 22nd and talk to him every night when I lay in bed. So many things remind me of him, food, songs, silly things that he and I would find funny. He should have had a wonderful life, he was an untapped well of potential, but heroin took that all away from him, and it took him away from me.

On October 21, 1987 I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and I named her Christina Maria. Christina was raised in a loving Italian home. She attended Saint Vincent DePaul School and obtained First Honors throughout her years at St. Vincent’s.

In 2001, Christina went to Holy Family Academy, and continued to maintain a 4.0 throughout her four years at Holy Family. She was the president of the Student Council and graduated in 2005. She participated in many sports throughout her grammar and high school years.

In 2005, Christina attended Pace University in New York City and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2009 with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She loved helping people and would address their needs before she addressed her own. After graduation from college, Christina was a certified Teacher's Aid and she worked at a school with severely disabled children who were in wheelchairs, couldn't speak, walk, or talk. She loved the children and the teachers loved her too. She was an advocate for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as three of the children from the school were sent to the hospital. She took pride in her work and always went out of her way to assist in whichever way she could. She had an infectious smile that lit the world.

In assisting a child and preventing the child from falling, Christina fell and broke her ankle. She was prescribed opioids and from taking pain medicine, this led to using heroin. From this horrific disease of addiction, on March 8, 2016, Christina’s life, my only child, was taken from an accidental overdose to heroin. She was 28 years old.

Jen was a wonderful person. She was funny, caring, loving. I miss her every day. She was a sister to me. There were so many fun things we did together.

He always had a great love for all. Especially those in need of friendship. He would always invite all who had no where to go on a holiday to come over and celebrate with us. He had the biggest heart and soul. I always prayed he would see and feel what a beautiful person he was. Just being himself was a gift to all who knew him 🙏❤️ I miss and love him so much 🙏❤️

Alyssa was so lovely, had such a kind and gentle way, had so many god gifted talents, and was loved by so many wonderful people.  She will forever be in our hearts.  In her honor and memory, we support this organization to help others the best we can.   

I had Valerie when I was 19 years old. Her Dad sadly was an alcoholic and our relationship didn’t last long. Valerie was such a smart little girl. I did the best I could, going to school to get myself a degree so I could provide for her. She grew up and had lots of friends. I remarried and Val had two more sisters that she loved. Sadly right after graduating from high school, she met a boy who introduced her to heroin. I found out about it months after and sent her to rehab where I thought she kicked it. She keep it a secret that she was on methadone. I was clueless back then about heroin use. She also started drinking after she moved in with her Dad. She met another guy and I didn’t know at the time was out of rehab for heroin use. They both lived at her Dad’s house and she had her first child, a beautiful little boy. She wasn’t on anything then since nothing showed up when he was born but who knows now. She seemed happy and her little family moved into their own place where a couple of years later she had a baby girl. The Dad of the kids relapsed right after the babies birth and she moved in with me and the two kids. She signed up for school and was ready to graduate. Her Dad invited her over to his house, which I didn’t know at the time. She lied and said she was going to her friends house. I got a call the next day from her Dad and the Fire Department saying she died. I don’t know what happened that day to make her relapse. Her Dad erased her phone. I am raising her two beautiful kids and doing my best with my two other children.

Dale had been struggling with heroin addiction after being prescribed opioids which were given to him as a teenager. He had been sober for several months, and had purchased what he believed to be DMT to give to his brother to make up for stealing from him. The morning of May 6th I awoke to my youngest son Daniel concussion breathing. 911 had to be called, CPR started, and my son Dale took over until paramedics arrived. Three doses of narcan - the white biggie was on my kitchen table next to my keys and I pointed it out to law enforcement as I left the apartment with Dale and police still in the unit. A short observation at the hospital and we returned to inform Dale that the suspected DMT was most likely laced with fentanyl. A short time later, Dale decided he was going to go take a shower. 20 minutes later I had my younger son Daniel kick in the bathroom door and my son deal had Clips in the shower and was under water. The package of drugs that I appointed to the police officer was in the bathroom with him. Paramedics worked on him for 20 minutes at the house and my lovely son was pronounced dead on May 7th. He became a seven organ 6 recipient donor on May 10th. We later found out that the packet that we thought was DMT laced with fentanyl ended up being 100% fentanyl. My son Dale never had a chance. On August 21st I met with the city manager and chief of police for Burien. It was at that time I was informed that the city and Burien police have a policy of not to investigate any overdoses, and in doing so, leave any drugs or paraphernalia at the scene.
Gross negligence

Alex was very smart. He liked to feel comfortable and secure. Alex started smoking pot and drinking before he was 16. I didn’t know about this until he got in trouble at school. He went to counseling and stayed clean till graduation. They random drug tested. After graduation, he went off to Western Carolina, where he knew no one. I think that was a big mistake on our part. But we didn’t know that he was going to end up using Xanax to feel comfortable in his own skin.

He flunked out of Western and returned home and lived with his Dad. He got a full time job at Walmart. He and his Dad had issues, so he came to live with me and my husband. The first of March, 2017, I found him passed out in his room. We decided to send him to 30 days of treatment. Two months later he was dead. A mixture of Xanax and a small amount of fentanyl. The fentanyl is what killed him. My life has been a day to day struggle. I miss him terribly. The loss is like someone took a hard ball and pierced it through my heart. It is the worst thing in the world to lose your child. Janice

Colin loved sports from the time he was younger. He was the most loving, caring person ever. He made everyone around him feel happy and comfortable. Colin actively played softball and had a dream of playing in the major leagues one day. Sadly, Colin was sober and used one night, which took his life because of a bad batch. He will be missed forever by everyone whose life he touched.

Jacob was an intelligent, kind-hearted, and loving person. He loved his little sister and little brother. Jacob taught his sister how to play basketball, a sport they both loved. He didn't have time to teach his brother the same skills but showered him with love any chance he got. A bright soul that lost his way in the world. So many people loved him. We all wish for another day. Another hour. Five minutes to attempt to say all that was neglected to be said. We will miss you for a lifetime and love you for eternity.

We lost our loving father, husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend August 19, 2016. The world feels so empty without his wit, charm, smile, and one liners. A piece of each of us has been missing since he left the world that Friday evening at 8:19 PM.

Mark Smith was the most generous man you could meet. He would give the last $20 to his name or shirt off his back to help a family member or friend. His hugs would take away any worry you had in the world. He loved to make people laugh. And his smile would light up a room. My dad was a person you would meet and would never forget. They say time heals, but all it does is make us miss him more. As he would always say to my mom, sister, and I, “You will always be in my heart”.

Our family would like to join the others out there that are dealing with the heartache that we face every day. The disease of addiction does not discriminate, it could happen to any of us. Let’s fight for better treatment and bring this disease to light. Let’s break the stigma and change the conversation about addiction.

My brother made everyone around him smile. When he loved, he loved with all his heart. He was definitely a lover, not a fighter. His daughters were his world. Even though he struggled, he was an amazing father who was always playing legos with his girls or with his nephews. He was an amazing uncle also. When he was locked up, so many people said Eugene made jail/prison bearable because he made the best of everything. He was a hard worker, and he was a member of the millwright union along with my dad He loved to spend the summer out at the lake swimming and just spending time with friends and family. He took a piece of all of us to heaven with him that day, and our family will never be the same. He is the reason I am in recovery today. My angel.

My sweet Melissa was gifted... She learned to play the keyboard by ear and her voice was so sweet to hear as she sang. She loved numbers. Graduated as an accountant. Loved crafts and drawing, and playing board games and card games, and she was very competitive. She was not her addiction; she was and still is my beautiful sweet second born whom I love❣

Our beloved Dawn unexpectedly passed away on March 2, 2018, at the age of 43. She was as beautiful on the inside, as she was out. She had a caring heart, and would light up the room with her amazing smile. She had a long struggle with alcoholism and on that day, while it was accidental, she lost the battle. She was a larger than life force, who lives within us all, and her presence will forever be with us.

Matt was an amazing person, always making people laugh. He loved cooking and playing games. He also loved heroin. I'd never met someone so loving in all my life. He was smart and knew a lot about the universe. He died four days before our wedding. He told me he wanted to be a grandpa so he could tell his grandkids to stop playing in the grass. I miss him so much and not a day goes by I don't think of him.

Travis battled years of addiction, depression, and anxiety. We did everything possible to help him fight his demons. Travis moved to North Carolina to be closer to our older son a few years ago. He was doing well, had a job, girlfriends, and heart of gold.
Then came the dreaded call last September. We are heartbroken as we miss him every day. He will always be in our hearts.
forever25travis

We lost our dear grandchild, Alexis Shapiro, to an overdose on August 11, 2018. She was 20 years young. She suffered with this terrible disease for many years and was in residential treatment centers three times. She also went to day care centers several times as follow ups to her residential treatments. She was clean for four weeks and set to go into an halfway house the day after she overdosed.
She started college but could not get past the first year. The insecurities she felt lead her to lean on opioids and drugs. Unfortunately, in the last few years she never felt adequate, happy, or secure unless she was on drugs.
Our family goal is to prevent even one family from going through this devastating event. We are united with SHATTERPROOF to reach this lofty goal.