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

Maeve was born in Westerville, Ohio. She is survived by her parents Norma and Michael Cullen; her two brothers, Matt and Kieron; her grandmother, Noreen Brady; eleven aunts and uncles, and 20 cousins. Maeve graduated from Brookwood High School in 2012. She then went on to attend Georgia State University. At the time, she wanted to become a nurse.

Maeve was the type of person who would make sure she put a smile on your face, even if she felt down. She had many, many friends and she loved them all so deeply. That's the thing about her...Maeve was such a trustworthy, loyal best friend. You could trust her with your deepest flaws and secrets. Something I heard people say numerous times at her service was how contagious her smile and laughter was. That couldn’t be more true. You can’t forget that laugh of hers. She could literally make you die laughing over the smallest, random things. She was very sarcastic and had such an easygoing, humorous personality. She was extremely caring and giving. In fact, after she passed away Maeve donated her organs, tissue, and even her eyes, which helped 22 people.
One of the many things Maeve was passionate about was her kitty, Ziggy. She loved all animals, but cats are her absolute favorite. She owned about 20 pairs of cat ears. :) She also had a dog named Mickey who she often picked up from her parents house to have sleepovers. Maeve always was full of joy and happiness. She will forever be our sunshine and angel above <3 In memory of Maeve's life, her mother made the most spectacular garden to celebrate the life of her beautiful daughter.

Things that made Maeve smile:
Good food, her kitty, family & friends, sunflowers, the color purple, tattoos, laughing, watching movies, music, Mexican food, sarcasm, driving, artwork, her Irish background.

Our lives will never be the same without our Maeve here on Earth, but she's the type to want her life celebrated and cherished! That's exactly what I hope to do - keep her beautiful spirit alive and remembered, forever.

“Let the memory of Maeve be with us forever”

After struggling with addiction and depression, Dan passed away and he will be terribly missed by his family, friends, and loved ones. Dan was born in Hartford, CT and was a graduate of Vinal Technical High School in Middletown, CT. He was a crew foreman for Asplundh Tree Services. Dan loved fishing with his brother Brian, the beach, camping, and more than anything he loved family time and seeing everyone happy. He is survived by his father, Robert LaChapelle and wife Diane, his mother, Teri Morrell Hayes, his brother, Brian, his sisters Teri and Maya, his love, Emily and their precious daughter, Ella and sweet son, Dominic. Dan touched the lives of everyone he met and was loved by many.

My Dad truly was a one of a kind. My mom always told me of funny situations he would get himself into, and I can even remember the moments I had with him as a child, whether it was crafting or watching The Three Stooges. Although my dad passed away in 2016, I lost him to alcoholism and drug addiction much earlier. Since I was around the age of five, my dad was in and out of my life. When I was little, my mom just said he was "out partying" but as I grew older I knew it was much more than that. When my parents divorced when I was 11, he was a different person. He was still the funniest person I've ever met, but there was a sadness under his breath and he had other priorities in mind. After learning about addiction in school and through other family members, I started to forgive my father for the mistakes he made, because it was then that I realised addiction is a disease and out of his control, no matter how hard he tried. Just a few years ago, I started taking care of him more as his cirrhosis grew worse, and in the last year of his life I truly forgave him because I saw the pain and suffering he went through each and every day. In these days, I was able to reconnect with him, but due to his addiction I was still not able to laugh or talk with him exactly like we did when I was little. On August 19, 2017 my dad passed away in hospice, and is forever at peace.

We lost our Mom on July 19, 2017. It wasn't addiction directly but addiction and mental illness plagued her most of her life. She was a beautiful, bright, very talented woman (her drawings and poetry could sweep you away) who loved shoes like no ones business, loved the color red (it was everywhere and anywhere), and who loved deeply. At different parts of her life, alcohol, prescription pills, and cigarettes stole her joy and ultimately led to her leaving us too soon. We will miss her warm smile and gentle touch. We try to rest knowing she is at peace, with no more pain, in Heaven. She is now able to love the way she always wanted to. God has called her home.

Our beautiful son was a little brother and the baby of the house. He was one of the easiest babies you could wish for, full of adventure and mischief, and a smile that would light you up. He loved to climb and swing from anything. Every kitchen drawer in the house was broken due to him swinging from them. He learned to crawl so early that he had no depth perception and bumped into walls. But nothing stalled him, he always smiled and moved on to the next great adventure.
School came easy to Liam and he often voiced his opinion about why high school should finish at 16 years instead of 18. High school is where Liam started to change as he started to separate out his different worlds believing this showed independence. He began to party and experiment with drugs, he believed he had an edge on things, however time showed it got totally out of his control. He graduated high school unsure of what the next steps would be, and this was in drastic contrast to his early years of high school when he was full of ideas and options. Adolescence is full of uncertainty and confusion, but in hindsight this was more like entrapment or enslavement to an alien cause. Over the next few years Liam worked and traveled and did a semester of community college here and there, eventually receiving an A.S. with concentration in biology. He never found a true purpose, however he studied much about the human condition. Unfortunately, drugs always seemed to fill a void, always pulling him back into a world and lifestyle he ultimately detested. He entered an out-patient program for addiction in 2013, but left early. By 2015 it was clear to all, including Liam, that he had a very serious problem. We encouraged Liam to seek help, and in early 2015 Liam attended his first 30-day treatment program. He returned home and started to make plans, unfortunately his disease had other plans. He battled hard, I once told him that if they gave out medals for detoxing he would be a possible contender. But no matter how many times he detoxed, the disease of addiction reared its ugly head and overwhelmed his will power. He cried, asking me ‘Mom why am I so weak’. We learned as much as we could about addiction and Liam once again chose to seek help in a long-term treatment program.
He spent the last 6 months of his life waging an all-out battle against the disease of addiction, working daily on every aspect of his life, mind, body and spirit. We were convinced he had found the way to a balanced and peaceful life. He looked great, putting on over 40 pounds, and chatted excitedly about starting work and moving on with his life aspirations. Without warning, Liam lost his battle on July 8th, 2017. He was loved, wanted, and cherished by many, he will be missed.
Personally, I feel we are in the stone age when it comes to helping our children with the disease of addiction. We have so few tools and society resorts to making them feel isolated, lonely, weak, and solely responsible for their fate. Yet the truth is so far from that reality. Greed, indifference, social pressures, and even genetics all played a part in my son’s disease. There is no profit in a cure, my son has become just another statistic in the society I live in, instead of a beautiful human being contributing to the welfare of all. I hope by grouping together nationally we can change the outcome for others in the future.

Tyler was a happy baby who grew to be a happy young man. He always had a big smile on his face and had such beautiful eyes. He cared about all, especially his two little brothers. He was the protector and helper and always tried to take care of them and tell them to do the right things in life as he sometimes strayed off that path. I love my son very much and he will forever and always be in our hearts. Rest in piece my son. I love you and will see again someday.

We had the dad who told us we could be whatever we wanted to be, and that whatever we chose to do, he would support us. He never missed a dance recital or a little league game. He constantly told us that raising his three children was the greatest job he ever took on and also the thing he was most proud of. He called us on our birthdays and sang into the phone, ending with a big loud "this is your daddayyy!" He made everyone laugh, and sitting at our dinner table always entailed endless laughter. His struggle with addiction was simply the last chapter in what was a long book. There was so much more to Bobby than his struggle. He lived a beautiful life, and it is defined not just by the hard times he faced, but by the positive impact he had on so many. His three children, his granddaughter, and all of our friends and family who wanted to come to our house growing up because being in his company was so wonderful.

He is gone too soon, and we will miss him for the rest of our lives. Nothing will ever be quite the same without being able to hear his voice or share in his company. We want to do our part to create positive change in our dads honor. We want to keep his memory alive and make him proud. Help us raise money to help future families overcome addiction, and to create a society where prevention is considered just as important as treatment, and where people who struggle with addiction are met with compassion and understanding, not stigma.

We miss Ali's constant determination to fight through each of her struggles and her love for her son. Ali was a mother first and although addiction was apart of her life she never let it cloud her determination to provide and love unconditionally. As her family, we made sure her addiction did not define her as a person and loved her through each and every up and down that occurred. Following her death, we learned so much about her and all of the people she touched in her short life. We love you Ali Renee'! We promise to keep your name alive every single day with memories and stories about your crazy time on this Earth.

Met Rory (23) at New Life House Recovery Home in Torrance, CA in 2010 when we sent my oldest son, Cody (19) there to get and stay sober. We spent countless hours over 18 months, talking with Rory and others when we would go visit my son on Saturdays. Rory shared about his addiction and how he got to the recovery home and I will share a bit of his story with you. Rory was an avid dirt bike rider for most of his youth, until a tragic bike accident left him unable to ever ride again. He could walk but with a cane and was on a pain med regime for the rest of his life. 

Megan was an excellent student, who took her studies seriously and enjoyed reading. She was athletic and liked running, playing soccer and skiing. Megan liked to watch movies and TV shows on Netflix, her favorite on Netflix was Grey’s Anatomy. She also loved listening to all different types of music. She was previously a peer minister at her local church. Megan belonged to a business fraternity at her college and loved to come home to be with her beloved dogs. Most of all, Megan enjoyed getting together with her family and the time spent with her cousins. As one of the oldest of over fifty cousins, Megan was respected for her genuine, kind spirit that made everyone feel loved and accepted.

Heather began suffering from addiction about 8 years ago. It took a long time to understand that this is a disease that she did not have control over. We tried everything we knew to help her but she wasn't at a place where she was prepared to accept help. I choose to remember Heather as an amazing big sister and friend with a spunky personality, incredible laugh and love for music. She was an incredible person and to see her struggle with addiction was heartbreaking. Heather is now at peace and by sharing her story, maybe we can change someone else's story.

Christopher was a sweet, compassionate soul loving all who came into his life. He was passionate about human rights and all were equal in his eyes. He loved music, playing his guitar and had an amazing sense of humor. His greatest wish was for people to understand those struggling with the disease of addiction and for there to be equality for all who need healthcare, regardless of income.

Chris started using drugs at an early age, graduating from marijuana to opiates, synthetics and crack. . He tried many, many times to stop and had started attending NA meetings a few weeks before he died. He truly believed he would beat this disease some day. He wanted to finish college and take care of his children. He was young, though, and felt invincible so gave in one last time. He didn't want to die, but his luck ran out.

He never sugar-coated his struggle with drugs and I won't either. This is a nasty disease and we need to do more. He would want us to talk about it.. rage against it.. fight for access to affordable treatment. Stop stigmatizing addiction so people suffer alone and die. Push back against unethical pharmaceutical companies and over-prescribing doctors and most importantly educate.

Please let there be no more Christophers.

As a son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, you could not find a better person than James.

James had many talents as a musician, singer, songwriter, skater, writer, hiker, snowboarder and traveler but the accomplishment we think James would be most proud of is when someone called him "Best Friend".

James lived an exciting life that he filled with caring for his family, making friends and creating experiences. With writing and drawing among his many passions, we were left a treasure trove of his creations that brings him alive.

We would like to share the piece James wrote and we had engraved on his urn.

"Never mind the weather - Be damned if I've been better. Me and you party like we've not lost our souls."

Aimee was a beloved mother and friend to everyone. She loved to welcome people into her home and entertain. No one would ever leave hungry! She had a special way of making you feel like the most important person in the room. Her outgoing personality made it easy for her to talk about anything to anyone. There was never a lull in conversation.
However, her struggle with alcoholism was something she kept mainly to herself. She feared that it would change the way those around her viewed her. As her daughter, I witnessed firsthand how hard she fought to combat this disease.
She will be greatly missed by all.

My son Branden came into this world 6 weeks early. He had health problems at birth. He struggled through school with learning disabilities. He got married to Nicole Eller and they had a beautiful little girl named Haley. Branden was a wonderful, sweet daddy and son! Six years ago, Nicole passed away. Branden had developed Type 1 Diabetes and struggled with health problems. He never seemed to recover from losing his wife. He also struggled with addiction. As his Mom, I helped him with Haley. Branden went into a diabetic coma on April 25, 2017, and went to be with the Lord. He will forever be missed by his beautiful little girl and his Mom and the rest of his family!

Wesley had a passion for visual arts. He was a musician, a talented artist, and also a passionate gamer. A movie and television buff, Wes loved to discuss the latest series with family and friends. But most of all, he loved spending time with close friends and family. Wes was a loving son, brother, fiancé, grandson, nephew, and friend.

With an outgoing personality and an easy smile, Wes will be remembered for his unique sense of humor. He had a great ability to put a smile on someone's face and was always willing to help those in need. Wes had a truly giving heart and deeply loved his fiancé and family. He will be greatly missed.

He battled hard and fought the disease of addiction and tried his best to help others walking the same path. He certainly left a great impression on those he walked with on the journey of life.

Caleb struggled with opioid addiction for five years. He desperately wanted to beat this addiction and fought fiercely, especially during the last year of his life. Caleb made many great friends on his journey of recovery and sobriety. He also lost many dear friends to overdose along this journey. As we all know, addiction does not discriminate and people from all walks of life are touched by it. We love you Caleb, and we will never forget you!

A good person passed this way. Barbara "Denise" "Nici" Bilton fought her addiction for many years. There were successes. Her life was not a failure although she never had the chances that many of us take for granted. There were people - men - in her life who should have watched out for her, taken care of her, been there for her. She had to take care of herself though and tried the best she could without ever feeling sorry for herself. She loved - and was loved - and will be dearly missed by so many, especially her sons Bobby and Corey and Corey's family - wife Annette and their children Allanna and Arrianna - granddaughters Desi and Rayleen. For those suffering this day from addiction, strength and peace to you. Remember Denise. Remember them all.