Joan Elizabeth Phillips

35 years ago our mother, Joan, was a thriving single mother, business professional, active and athletic, healthy person who lit up any room she entered. Then a vehicle accident caused by a drunk driver left our mother with a broken neck, having to relearn how to walk, among other injuries, and ultimately introduced her to opioids. At the time, opioid addiction was never even in the back of anyone's mind. This addiction proved to be a gateway for her into many other forms of addiction, prematurely taking the fun-loving mother we once knew away from us. Due to complications related to those addictions, we ultimately lost her. There is no easy way to cope with the loss of a loved one, especially losing one to addiction. But, hopefully the stories shared on here will help save someone else's life.