Cody James O'Donnell

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!!!