[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 22, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             ANGIE'S STORY

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. SCOTT PERRY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 22, 2016

  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, Angie LeGore was a beautiful girl with a 
heart of gold and a smile that would light up a room. She loved to sing 
and would sing with her mother in church. Angie loved dressing up and 
she loved dressing in jeans and wrestling in the dirt with her 
brothers. Because of her character, compassion and listening ear, 
children with troubles were attracted to Angie. She became the go to 
person for help. Angie loved writing and kept journals about what she 
wanted her life to look like when she grew up. Angie was focused on a 
career as a journalist. Telling stories was an art of Angie's. 
Unfortunately, Angie's one weakness would be her downfall. Angie wanted 
friends to like her and so she was a follower. Before she knew it, 
Angie followed others right into a life of addiction.
  In 1997, Angie admitted to her mother that she was using heroin. Her 
mother, at the time, was uneducated about the drug and said, ``Angie, 
if you love me you can quit.'' Angie tried to explain the power of the 
drug: ``Mom, I need this drug like I need air to breathe.'' After a few 
months, an overdose, and much begging on her mother's part, Angie 
agreed that she needed help and signed herself into a treatment 
facility. Angie stayed there for a few weeks, but the call of heroin 
was too great. Angie left treatment and returned to her addiction. She 
called her mother a few days later: ``I'm in a black hole and I can't 
get out.'' Angie's mother begged her to go back to treatment and Angie 
said she would call her the next day. They said their usual, ``I love 
you's'' and signed off. Having had a few weeks clean, Angie's tolerance 
had decreased dramatically. On February 10th Angie's body was found 
near a muddy creek after having been thrown down an embankment by her 
dealer.
  The dealer had left Angie unconscious on his floor from Monday night 
until Tuesday night while she struggled to breathe. By the time he got 
home from a party on Tuesday, Angie was dead. The dealer and a friend 
loaded Angie into his car and dumped her body. The dealer was 
eventually found and prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter, seven 
drug violations including three felonies, and abuse of a corpse.
  Despite never having used drugs or alcohol herself, Angie's mother 
has struggled with addiction all her life. The power that opioids and 
heroin have had on her children is nothing short of a tragedy. This is 
a family disease and must be treated as such. Over the eighteen years 
that she has been working on substance abuse treatment and recovery 
concerns, there has always been a severe lack of funding. It is time 
that addiction is treated as it would any other disease that has become 
a national crisis. Fund the solutions.

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