[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                 HONORING THE LIFE OF ADAM DAVID NUSZEN

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                           HON. LEE M. ZELDIN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 12, 2019

  Mr. ZELDIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of Adam David Nuszen who lost his battle with mental illness and 
addiction a little over 3 years ago. With an insatiable curiosity and 
unparalleled connectivity to the world around him, Adam's bright future 
was as limitless as the night sky he so admired. As a gifted musician, 
poet, writer, philosopher and inventor, Adam enlightened everyone who 
had the honor of meeting him, and as the oldest of three siblings, he 
was the protector of his family with a fierce loyalty that was only 
surpassed by his quiet quest for justice.
  At the age of 22, Adam was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which sent 
him in and out of hospitals in an attempt to balance his mental illness 
with some semblance of an everyday life, but he succumbed to the 
dangerous and devastating world of opioid addiction. Even in his 
darkest days, Adam always encouraged his loved ones to ``look up'' so 
they didn't miss the beauty he saw in the world around them.
  In November 2015, Adam lost his battle with addiction, but only after 
leaving an indelible mark on his family, friends and community. During 
his last conversation with his mother Linda, Adam carried this same 
positive sentiment and tone, which has stayed with Linda to this day 
and inspired the creation of the nonprofit foundation Look Up for Adam.
  The rise of the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic has affected so many 
families across Long Island and our entire nation, and Look Up for Adam 
provides support for these families as they embark on ``the difficult 
journey of loving a person who is addicted to drugs.'' Even in the 
darkest of days, Look Up for Adam reminds these families to look up 
just as Adam did, and in honor of his enduring spirit and character, 
I'd like to support his mother's request in declaring March 12th, 
Adam's birthday, as National Look Up Day.
  There are so many families across our entire nation who are battling 
the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic, who when down in the trenches 
sometimes forget to look up at the world around them. National Look Up 
Day serves as a reminder for these families to keep a positive outlook, 
but also for us as Members of Congress to never stop fighting to combat 
the heroin and opioid abuse epidemic and never waver in our support for 
the families affected by it.

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