[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 178 (Friday, December 9, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1686-E1688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE NATIONAL OPIOID EPIDEMIC
______
HON. ANN M. KUSTER
of new hampshire
in the house of representatives
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to include in the Record
today the personal stories of families from across the country that
have been affected by the opioid and heroin epidemic. In the U.S. we
lose 129 lives per day to opioid and heroin overdose. In my home state
of New Hampshire I have learned so many heartbreaking stories of great
people and families who have suffered from the effects of substance use
disorder.
Earlier this year, my colleagues and I were joined by many of these
courageous families who came to Washington to share their stories with
Members of Congress and push for action that will prevent overdoses and
save lives. Since then, we passed both the Comprehensive Addiction and
Recovery Act and the 21st Century Cures Act to provide much needed
funding and critical policy changes to fight this epidemic.
The advocacy of these families truly is so important to leading to
change in Washington and I am proud to preserve their stories.
John Michael Ahern--Rockport, Massachusetts
John was born on September 30, 1969. He was the youngest of
three siblings, Kathryn, Charles, and Mary, and a father to
three beautiful boys, Johnny, Rian, and Connor.
Growing up, John was a wonderful son--joyful, loving and
compassionate. At the age of 14, he began a transition that
would lead to a long, hard fought battle with addiction. Over
the years, John was treated at various rehabilitation clinics
across the country. He did his best to maintain his sobriety
and would do so for short periods of time, but the disease of
addiction was too strong for John.
John was determined to overcome his struggles, fighting
fiercely and with all his strength. But in the end, on August
16, 2015, the disease of addiction proved too great for him
to overcome. John passed away unexpectedly from a heroin
overdose. He was 46 years old.
``I can't imagine his daily struggles and the hardships he
faced in his short life,'' writes his mother, Gail. ``It was
heartbreaking to see John's self-esteem diminish over time.
He had a difficulties maintaining employment and finding
stable living. Before his last and final attempt at recovery,
which so sadly failed, John was living in a homeless
shelter.''
``I loved my John. I know his life was bittersweet and his
struggles were so great. I believe some individuals are just
too fragile for this world, and I am so grateful to God that
he took John home at last. For I know in my heart he is now
joyous, at peace, and in the loving arms of our Lord. John's
struggle is over; he is now an angel.''
Andrew Angers--Saginaw, MI
Andrew was born April 5, 1982, at 12:01 a.m. He was a
beautiful baby and had a star quality about him as a toddler.
Growing up, Andrew was a happy, healthy boy with a kind heart
and a brilliant smile. Then one day he was not so happy
anymore.
As Andrew entered high school, he began to struggle with
personal demons. As a result, he experimented with drugs as a
way to cope with his emotions. Andrew was immediately taken
hostage by addiction and his battle progressed before he even
graduated. Andrew did manage to graduate, although a year
later than he should have. Regardless, it was a happy day for
him and his family.
For the years following, Andrew's struggles with addiction
continued but at times it seemed he was gaining the upper
hand. Andrew entered college and even married his high school
sweetheart. Sadly, college went by the wayside and the
marriage failed. Even throughout all the hardships, Andrew
was still there--there were glimpses of the sweet, sensitive,
kind-hearted man he was.
Andrew was a very talented musician and was often seen
walking around wearing a banjo. He had the most wonderful
smile and such a warm laugh. Andrew had hope right up until
the end. In a final phone call he spoke of his future and
being done with using. On June 18, 2009, Andrew was found
dead from an overdose. It truly was the day the music ended.
Nicholas Antich--Crown Point, Indiana
The mother of Nick Antich wants people to know her family's
tragedy in order to bring light to a growing epidemic in the
United States. It's unfortunate that people are ashamed to
tell the stories of their loved ones who are battling drug
addiction. They worry that society will see those struggling
as second class, low-life individuals. As an emergency nurse,
Nick's mom has a job to help anyone who enters the ER.
Nick's mother now has the perspective that if addiction can
happen to her son, it can happen to anyone. Addiction impacts
people who are educated; smart, charismatic and have the
world in the palm of their hand. Nick Antich was an top
student who didn't get into trouble at school and never
caused his father and mother much grief beyond the typical
teenage issues. Nick was raised in a normal family, played
baseball as a child and wrestled in middle school. He loved
animals and was known as the ``animal whisperer'' because on
several different occasions he saved kittens from the side of
busy highways where they had been dumped.
When Nick was accepted into an Engineering program for
college, he moved to Indianapolis. During his Sophomore year
in college, Nick started dabbling in drugs. Nothing his
mother would consider hardcore, but never-the-less, drugs.
Nick was smart and knew the risks involved with drug use, so
his mother never imagined that anything serious was
happening. She certainly never prepared herself for the
journey her family was about to embark upon.
One day, Nick called his mother to say he had been sick in
bed for three days. She knew in her gut that something was
not right. Nick had been sick a bunch of times since going
away to college, which is normally no big deal--take some
Tylenol and get rest--but this time felt different. She
called an ambulance and sent them to Nick's address. Two
hours later, Nick's mom arrived at the hospital where she
found her son curled up in a ball on a cot. Nothing had been
done. The hospital knew Nick was going through heroin
withdrawal but because of HIPAA they couldn't tell Nick's
mother what was happening. When Nick saw his mom, he held up
his arms and said, ``Mom, it's bad.'' She dropped to her
knees and her hell as a parent began. Within 24 hours, Nick
was on a plane to Arizona where he was admitted into
treatment for the next two months.
Nick moved back home after treatment and within three
months his mother saw suspicious signs. She kicked him out of
her house. In September of 2014, Nick came and told her,
``Mom, I'm using again.'' Within 24 hours, Nick was back on a
plane to Arizona for a second stint in treatment. This time
Nick was there for four months. He came home for Christmas of
2014, clean from Xanax and heroin.
Nick got a job working for the state of Indiana and was
quickly promoted. However, Nick felt miserable inside and
nothing his mother did could fix Nick's loneliness. When Nick
was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, he faithfully took his
meds and followed up monthly with his doctor. He did not want
to be unhappy; he exercised, attempted a vegan diet and quit
smoking three months before he died.
The week before Nick relapsed, he had to work long shifts
plowing during a snowstorm and was stressed and tired.
Sitting by himself plowing snow for 16 hours did something to
Nick; he got Xanax from a friend. When his mother found out,
Nick told her, ``Mom, I just wanted to take something to make
my miserable job tolerable . . . I would never use heroin
again.'' Unfortunately, Xanax was all it took to wake up the
devil within Nick that had been dormant for 18 months. His
mother was petrified that whole week, thinking here we go
again. On Friday, March 4th, Nick went to see friends in
Indianapolis for the weekend and had plans to stay with his
sister in Bloomington for the rest of that week. Nick's
parents flew out on Saturday for a week's vacation in
Arizona. On Sunday afternoon, March 6, 2016, Nick didn't wake
up.
She hates drugs. They robbed Nick of his life, they robbed
her daughter of her only sibling, and they robbed his parents
of their only son. Over 450 people attended Nick's wake,
which was a testament to how loved he was: friends, family,
and teachers from elementary through high school came to
share that day with Nick's family. Nick didn't realize how
much love there was for him in this life.
Despite the resources Nick's mother had access to as an
emergency room nurse, she could not save him. This is what
she has to learn to live with forever. Please don't hide
these stories anymore. Out of the 450 people who attended
Nick's service, at least a dozen said it happened to them
too.
Tommy Jacob Arnold--Decatur, Illinois
The Arnold's youngest son, Tommy died of a heroin overdose
on June 25, 2016. His battle
[[Page E1687]]
with addiction started when someone offered him heroin as an
alternative to dull the pain of a toothache. It instantly
grabbed control and robbed Tommy of everything--family,
friends, jobs, cars, a home--but most of all it robbed him of
his self respect.
Growing up, Tommy was a typical all-American boy with hopes
and dreams. He loved music, movies, campfires with friends
and just being with those he loved. He was a shy, gentle
giant that was always kind and caring to everyone he met--he
would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need. Tommy
lost it all to this horrible, ravaging drug.
On the morning of June 25th this year, Tommy's family was
awoken by the coroner telling them that their son had
overdosed just a few hours earlier--and his body was awaiting
their funeral instructions at the morgue. No parent should
have to receive news like this. Tommy fought hard before
losing his battle with addiction. He was in recovery five
different times, but this last time he wasn't able to fight
his way back.
``30 days of treatment isn't enough to help those afflicted
successfully fight this battle,'' writes Tommy's mother,
Kathleen. ``Longer, progressive plans need to be developed to
stop this epidemic from taking the lives of our loved ones.''
Although Tommy is in heaven now, pain-free, he leaves
behind parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, a brother and
sister, the love of his life, and his six year old son. His
family is all heart-broken.
Ronni Baker--Stow, Maine
Ronni Baker was raised in a loving and stable environment
where her and her sister's needs were met. As a family, the
Bakers did many things together; they played outside, went
camping and fishing, and always had fun.
Ronni's parents had good relationships with both of their
daughters and supported them in pursuing their interests.
Ronni loved trying new things. She joined the 4-H youth
organization at the age of ten and got her first horse when
she was 12. She was also a Girl Scout and participated in
Odyssey of the Mind creative challenges. Ronni was an avid
reader and loved trivia. She had a fondness for animals and
had a way with them. At 16, Ronni thought it would be fun to
enter a Miss Teen USA contest, so she did. In high school,
she was on the wrestling team.
Ronni had strong political views and feelings about
equality--she often stuck up for the underdog. As a young
child, she spent a lot of time with her great-grandparents
and developed an affection for the elderly. After becoming a
certified nurse's aide, she started working in a local
nursing home--a place where she connected with and felt
protective of the residents.
School came easy to Ronni and she never really had to work
that hard at it. Socially, she was bubbly, easy-going, and
funny. She had lots of friends. So why did Ronni, of all
kids, start using drugs? Why did she--of all people--die of a
drug overdose in the dawn of her life?
Her family thinks it started innocently enough, with kids
experimenting with alcohol and/or maybe marijuana; just like
many teenagers do. But opiates changed the rules of the game.
These pills are now shared the way other substances were in
the past. With these powerful drugs, kids can't always move
on from their experimentation phase and grow up. They think
they are just having fun and are invincible, but no one is
invincible when it comes to opioid addiction, let alone a
young adult.
Add to this experimentation, the fact that when Ronni was
in her late teens she started experiencing some back and leg
pain related to the demands of wrestling. Afterward, Ronni
was in a car accident and received prescription opioids for
her pain. Around the same time, she was diagnosed with
Attention Deficit Disorder; which had not been previously
identified as an issue due to her academic ability and
achievements.
As parents, the Bakers thought that if they did mostly
everything right, then their children would be okay. They
thought that by living out in the sticks they were insulated
from some of the big-city problems that affect many young
individuals. Opioids are everywhere and opioid addiction lays
in wait for everyone.
Frankie Prout--Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
On February 5, 2012, at 6:04 a.m. Frankie Prout, oldest of
four, was pronounced dead at the age of 20 while living in a
halfway house.
Frankie grew up in Port Richmond in Philadelphia. As a
child, he was loved by everyone. Around the age of 18,
Frankie started to change. He wasn't acting like his normal
happy self and his mother knew something was wrong, but never
in a million years did she suspect he was developing a drug
addiction. It turns out Frankie was using Percocet prescribed
by a dentist. By the time his use had escalated to crushing
and snorting 30mg, he was stealing from and lying to his
family and friends. He eventually was incarcerated for
robbing a car. When he returned home from jail, he went right
back to abusing drugs. At this point, Frankie's family gave
him the option to get help or be homeless.
When Frankie and his mother first went to a detox facility,
he was turned away for an expired ID. The second time, he was
turned away from the detox facility because he didn't have
enough drugs in his system. Frankie at this point was so sick
from withdrawal that he begged his mother to let him die. In
order to get enough drugs in his system to be admitted, his
mother had to purchase Percocet for him to use. Detox
accepted him that time and kept him for five days during
which he celebrated his 19th birthday. When the facility ran
out of beds, Frankie was released. He stayed clean for three
months before relapsing. Frankie's addiction got worse and
worse during his relapse. He desperately needed detox to get
clean again but he was turned away from the facility because
there were no beds.
When Frankie finally was able to get into detox, again his
stay was only for five days. This time Frankie celebrated
Christmas there. When he was released, Frankie went to an
inpatient rehabilitation facility and seemed to be doing well
there. However, his insurance covering the treatment ran out
after 42 days.
From the inpatient rehabilitation facility, Frankie to a
halfway house in the same neighborhood where he used to get
high. Frankie checked in on a Thursday afternoon and was out
on the streets within the hour--he didn't even get drug
tested. He was living with eleven heroin addicts, all of whom
were allowed to come and go as they pleased. On Saturday,
Frankie went to his mother's house for more clothes and
blankets. She was surprised to see him and asked why he
didn't have any restrictions. When he didn't answer, his
mother told him she was going to check out the halfway house
the very next day. Before leaving he said, ``I love you Mom.
See you tomorrow.'' Those were the last words she heard from
her son. Frankie died of an IV heroin overdose in the
bathroom of the halfway house where someone helped him get
high and left him to die.
John Robert ``Bobby'' Baylis II--Roanoke, Virginia
Bobby was the oldest of three siblings. He was a funny,
kind-hearted kid who played sports in high school. The summer
after his freshman year in college, Bobby had ACL surgery and
came home with a 90-day supply of OxyContin. That was the
summer Bobby became addicted to pain medication.
During the following year, Bobby suffered from anxiety and
depression. He had trouble keeping up in his classes and
Bobby dropped out in the spring. Within six months of
returning home, Bobby had several run-ins with the police.
Bobby's mom will never forget the moment when she realized
that her son was addicted to drugs. She was rustling through
his room and found a box in the back of his closet full of
childhood memorabilia. Wrapped up tight in Bobby's baby
blanket was a box of hypodermic needles. Having a son that
was addicted to drugs and in trouble with the law was
something Bobby's mom never expected would happen to her
family. Shortly thereafter, Bobby fell into a vicious cycle--
moving between jail, treatment, recovery, and relapse.
Despite the fact that his mom kept trying to get Bobby the
treatment he so desperately he needed, she felt helpless. His
mom often thinks that if Bobby had access to better treatment
and if he hadn't been restricted to serve probation in
Roanoke (the town where all of his connections to drugs
were), Bobby would have been better poised to succeed in
recovery.
Bobby's addiction was destroying his life and the lives of
his entire family. He had stolen his mother's credit cards,
pawned items from his family's home and put his mother into
financial debt. She laid awake at night worrying that a drug
dealer would come to their home and worried that she would
receive the call from the police saying that he had
overdosed.
Bobby was convicted of possession and distribution charges.
He spent three years in a Federal Prison Camp. His mom was
grateful for this because at least Bobby was safe and drug-
free for three years. At the Camp, Bobby received his
journeyman's license as an electrician, was certified in
heating and air conditioning, and cultivated his relationship
to his higher power. When his mom went to visit him, there
was light in his eyes, and for the first time in a long time
she did not see Bobby overtaken by addiction.
When Bobby got out jail and came home, his mom felt like
she had Bobby back. He said, ``Mom, I have a second chance at
life.'' Bobby was lucky to get a great job despite his felony
record. He worked hard every day of the week; got up at 6
a.m., packed his lunch, and came home by 7 p.m. after a long
day's work. He was proud of his accomplishments and got a
promotion at work.
Then Bobby let people from his past back into his life and
his addiction was triggered. In one weekend, Bobby relapsed
for the last time. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, he
overdosed from heroin laced with fentanyl. His mom found him
lying on the floor in his bedroom and the EMS couldn't revive
him. He died on June 6th, 2015 at the age of 28.
After the shock of Bobby's death, his mom felt compelled to
speak out in order to change the stigma that surrounds this
disease. Since then, many people have told her their stories
about a family member who is struggling with addiction or has
died of it. These stories are not public knowledge. We need
to reach out to families who are struggling and grieving. We
need to replace judgement with respect and support. We need
to let them know they are not alone.
Nicholas ``Nick'' Berger--Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Nick was a really great guy and a wonderful son. He grew up
in an average middle-class home, surrounded by family and
pets who loved him dearly. He enjoyed many activities in high
school, including football, ROTC, agriculture, and animal
husbandry.
[[Page E1688]]
From an early age, nature was Nick's solace. He enjoyed
camping, hunting and fishing. After graduating high school,
he worked as a hunting guide in Wyoming for a couple of
seasons tracking elk, mule deer, and antelope. During that
time, he hunted and fished in Alaska, British Columbia and
Canada. He encountered some challenges in the wild but he had
good survival skills and could think on his feet.
Nick's father owned a construction business and when Nick
returned home he started working for his dad. Nick was a
natural and his father had hopes of passing his business on
to him someday.
One day, Nick hurt his shoulder while playing a casual game
of football and eventually had to have surgery. During his
recovery, the doctor prescribed semi-synthetic opioids. After
completing the prescribed dose, Nick sought out supplemental
prescription medication on the street. When illegal
prescriptions became too costly, Nick turned to heroin.
Nick kept his addiction hidden. His family and closest
friends remained clueless about his struggle. He was never in
trouble with the law and didn't miss work. Nick came home for
family meals and was rarely out late. He was always an honest
kid, so when Nick told his family something, they believed
him.
Slowly, some of Nick's behaviors changed. He became moody.
He often asked for his paycheck early, kept coming down with
flu-like symptoms and started acting depressed. His family
didn't understand what was going on and when they asked, Nick
said he had a 24-hr bug.
In retrospect, Nick's family thinks that his opioid drug
use went on for at least a couple of years undetected.
Eventually, the signs became too apparent and when his family
confronted Nick, he said he desperately wanted and welcomed
help. Nick told them, ``I have a serious drug problem and I
can't control it.''
After a couple phone calls, Nick was placed in a local 30-
day treatment program in December 2013. Nick's 30-day program
consisted of detox and 12-Step-based therapy. Nick was a good
student; he learned about his disease, engaged in discussions
with counselors and other residents, and helped others who
were also struggling with their addiction.
During this time, his family explored more extensive
treatment and recovery programs. They wanted to provide Nick
with the best possible education and clean living environment
to help him turn his life around. Nick agreed to participate
in a 90-day inpatient private pay recovery house and was
transported to the facility upon completion of the 30-day
program.
Nick also worked hard in the 90-day inpatient program and
was praised again by counselors. Eventually, he was given
some increased responsibilities that involved speaking with
and engaging other residents. He was given the opportunity to
speak at another facility and had been selected as an
interview candidate by CNBC for a segment they were
developing on opioid addiction and recovery houses. His
family was encouraged by his progress.When the day finally
came for Nick to return home, he was welcomed with open arms.
After being home for just three weeks and one day, Nick's
disease fooled him into using--``just one more time.''
Thinking they can use just once, or on occasion, without
having the same physical reaction as they did before is
common problem for people with a substance abuse disorder.
This warped misconception, accompanied by a completely clean
body, often leads to overdose or death. The body physically
cannot tolerate the same dosage the person was taking to get
high before getting clean.
On Thursday evening, April 24, 2014, Nick was supposed to
go to an outpatient group and then a meeting. He came home
late--but, ``looked OK,'' according to his father. Nick
retired to his room and injected crushed Oxycodone before
going to bed. When he fell asleep his lungs stopped and his
body shut down. His parents found him dead the following
morning. Nick was 31.
____________________