[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16728-16730]
[From the U.S. 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.


             Robert and Eric Franklin--Cedarburg, Wisconsin

       The Franklin family had two beautiful, talented and very 
     much loved sons, both who died in 2012 from heroin overdoses. 
     They both are so very missed. Life is just not as full as it 
     should be. Their loss has forever changed their family's 
     lives.
       The Franklin's youngest child, Robert Franklin, was born 
     November 10, 1987 and died April 22, 2012. At six foot five, 
     he was a gentle giant. Everyone loved Robert; he was funny 
     and a born leader. In high school, Robert had gotten himself 
     into trouble and was arrested for being in possession of two 
     pounds of marijuana at the age of 17. As his parents, they 
     were shocked that he had been messing with that quantity of 
     marijuana. As a result, before Robert turned 18 years old he 
     was labeled a felon. Drugs became Robert's escape; he 
     shouldn't have needed to escape, he had a great childhood and 
     was well liked by everyone. From there, things went quickly 
     downhill. Robert spent much of his young adult life in prison 
     or jail. Robert didn't seem to know how to stop using, and 
     his family didn't fully understand what he was going through. 
     Then he found the drug Oxycontin. Robert died at the age of 
     24. As Neil Young once said, ``Twenty four and there's so 
     much more''.
       Their middle son, Eric, was born February 22, 1986 and died 
     December 21, 2012. He was a happy, smart, handsome, loved, 
     talented and caring person. Eric had so much to live for, so 
     much left to give to the world. He played the guitar and 
     harmonica; writing much of his own music. Eric also had a 
     great voice. Eric worked for his dad as a rough carpenter. He 
     had just met a girl and were early in their relationship, but 
     somehow he still couldn't get past his addiction. His family 
     knew he wanted to change. Eric even went to a treatment 
     center and did really well for a while. He was only 26 when 
     he died.
       Both Robert and Eric loved to play the guitar and were 
     immensely passionate about all music. Together they started a 
     band called, The Wronged and wrote and recorded several 
     songs.
       Robert and Eric left behind not only their parents, 
     Patricia and Mike, but also their older brother, Adam and 
     sister in-law, Robin, and their only niece, Taylor.


                  Jason Freburger--Pasadena, Maryland

       On December 23, 2015, Jason Freburger died in his family's 
     home of a heroin overdose. He was 29 years old. The several 
     years of battling his addiction caused so much pain for 
     Jason, as well as his family. Jason felt shame, remorse, 
     failure and regret. His family felt lost, horrified, let 
     down, and confused by the lack of available resources and the 
     medical system. Jason was in and out of treatment, jail, IOP, 
     NA meetings and a halfway house.
       Jason was an electrician for the Board of Education for 
     eight years, and was preparing to get his Master's license. 
     He was an animal lover, played Xbox, loved fishing, enjoyed 
     music, reading a good book, and building with Mega Legos. 
     Jason would regularly tell his family that he loved them. 
     However, Jason is the product of a family tree that has 
     strong inherited addictive genes and mental illness--many of 
     those struggling with addiction suffer with dual diagnosis, 
     and this resulted in Jason's demise.
       Jason was never allowed enough time in any treatment 
     facility for recovery to take hold. Losing his job meant 
     losing his medical insurance. There is no in-patient 
     treatment that covers beyond two weeks with just Medicaid. 
     After two weeks of treatment, Jason came out clean, but not 
     skilled, not yet strong enough, not able to keep the disease 
     at bay. He was then sent into a halfway house that had no 
     accountability for any of its clients.
       Jason tried, he tried so hard. He wanted to be drug free; a 
     simple man living a simple life. Jason was a part of the Anne 
     Arundel County Maryland Adult Drug Court Program. Once-a-
     month hearings with the judge and once-a-week case manager 
     meetings isn't enough for some of those struggling with 
     addiction to be successful.
       His family can't stop thinking about Jason; loving him, 
     missing him, and needing him in their lives. Jason was a 
     treasure to them all. He was a beloved child. He was a good 
     person and son. He needed help; he asked for it but was only 
     granted snippets of hope that would never lead to solid 
     recovery. Individuals struggling with addiction are our 
     children, spouses, our family.


                  Mark C. Fuscia--Voorhees, New Jersey

       Mark Fuscia passed away to a heroin overdose on February 
     12, 2010. Mark was a wonderful, kind, respectable, energetic, 
     intelligent and loving person. Our family used to call him 
     the politician because of his outgoing and friendly 
     personality with people.
       At the young age of 14, Mark began experimenting with 
     drugs. During this time his family thought he was just going 
     through the teenage phase of life, and were unaware Mark had 
     fallen into a strong addiction. He started out with 
     marijuana, then moved to mushrooms, cocaine, pills then 
     heroin.
       Mark was really good at various sports from a very young 
     age, but was most passionate about baseball, which he played 
     since elementary school up until the end of freshman year of 
     high school. Although he did very well in school throughout 
     the years, his family was told by a teacher that Mark was an 
     excellent student but there was concern that he was a 
     follower. Being a follower, Mark decided after finishing 
     baseball in freshman year to quit the team like some of his 
     friends had done. It was just the beginning of Mark becoming 
     disinterested in things he previously really enjoyed.
       As his addiction began the summer before sophomore year of 
     high school, Mark faced a lot of challenges--including 
     arrests as he sold drugs to support his gradual habit. During 
     his senior year of high school, despite all of the ups and 
     downs, Mark had managed to get two partial academic 
     scholarships to college. His family couldn't have been more 
     proud of him and continued to show support and love, hoping 
     that he would have a bright future ahead of him.
       Mark tried so hard to overcome his addiction and to stay on 
     the straight path, but his addiction was so strong and 
     followed him right to college. His family were always 
     supporting him, including trying to help him through these 
     difficult years. They all loved Mark so much and were 
     confident that with their help he would be able to overcome 
     his addiction in time. At the time, Mark's family did not 
     fully understand the grasp the disease of substance use 
     disorder has on individuals.


                  Andrew Gibson--Boston, Massachusetts

       Andrew started using drugs in Middle School in his hometown 
     of Billerica, Massachusetts. First it was marijuana, which he 
     used in excess (3-4 times a day starting before he went to 
     school). He sold marijuana for many years until he graduated 
     to opiates. He started with 30 mg Percocets until he 
     discovered that heroin was less expensive.
       Andrew's learning disabilities made school difficult for 
     him and he never liked it, but he was successful during his 
     last two years of in a charter high school because of the 
     supportive community, teachers and administration. Andrew 
     graduated in 2012 and never went to college.
       Andrew loved dirt bikes and did his senior project on the 
     dynamics of dirt bike engines. He also loved cars and was 
     proud of his Acura Integra that he drove to school while 
     blaring the sound system that he had installed himself.
       Andrew was always looking ``fresh.'' He took pride in how 
     he presented; he'd clean dirt off of his spotless white 
     sneakers, wipe smudges off mirror sunglasses and sport a 
     crisp haircut. A hat to match the color of his shirt and 
     sneakers. He was well-liked, charismatic, respectful, kind 
     and always willing to help a friend. He had difficulty being 
     kind to himself. He was always focusing on his mistakes and 
     dismissing his successes.
       Andrew relapsed many times and struggled to embrace the 12 
     Step Program. In 2014, he was charged with possession and 
     trafficking of heroin and was sent to jail. It took being 
     arrested to make him realize how serious his addiction had 
     become. From there Andrew went to a sober house in Portland, 
     Maine, where he learned how to live a substance free life.
       He got a job as a cook at a local restaurant, he started to 
     work the 12 Steps, got a sponsor, attended and spoke at 
     meetings, started mental health counseling, joined a gym and 
     was feeling good about himself. He looked and felt great--
     having gained back some of the weight that he lost when he 
     was using.
       Andrew passed away in Portland, Maine on April 11, 2015, 
     after a three-year battle with Heroin addiction. He was 21 
     years young. In his short time on this earth, Andrew helped 
     countless people. Many people have told his family that they 
     wouldn't be sober or even alive if it weren't for him.


                  Jessica Elizabeth Grubb--Charleston,
                             West Virginia

       Jessica Elizabeth Grubb, second oldest of five sisters, 
     died on March 2, 2016 as a result

[[Page 16729]]

     of oxycodone toxicity. After struggling for many years with 
     the demon that is heroin addiction, Jessica's mother had 
     hoped and truly believed that Jessica was finally on the 
     clean and sober path to recovery.
       Jessica's struggles began during her freshman year of 
     college, when she was raped at a party; not telling a soul 
     about the incident for six years. This set the stage for many 
     agonizing years of depression, addiction, anorexia, and 
     bulimia. Jessica said that heroin was the only thing that 
     ``made her not care.''
       In the six months prior to Jessica's death, she was slowly 
     improving and coming back to herself. She had found a city 
     she loved, a job, a supportive community, and was exercising 
     a lot. Jessica was running many miles a day, which seemed to 
     be helping her with her anxiety.
       Unfortunately, due to all of the running, Jessica had a 
     reoccurrence of a bone infections and had to have surgery in 
     February. Jessica's family panicked. Doctors are too free 
     with prescribing narcotics and many have no idea what these 
     drugs can do to someone who is already struggling with 
     addiction. Therefore, Jessica's family drove six hours to be 
     with Jessica; they wanted to make sure these doctors knew 
     about Jessica's history of struggling with addiction. They 
     made it clear to all nurses and doctors that Jessica was 
     recovering from a heroin addiction and Jessica told them the 
     same thing. But when Jessica's mother mentioned this to one 
     of the doctors, he said, ``Shhh!'' She asked him, ``What are 
     you talking about?'' The doctor began to tell her that, 
     ``Jessica is such a sweet girl, we don't want people knowing 
     that.'' Jessica's mother was struck dumb by the doctor's 
     comment.
       The weather forecast showed an incoming snow storm, so 
     Jessica's family ended up only staying two days with Jessica, 
     leaving for home after her surgery was complete. They were 
     confident that all would be well; meaning, Jessica would not 
     be prescribed any narcotics.
       That afternoon the doctors put Jessica on an IV containing 
     oxycodone, reawakening her addiction. They then sent her home 
     with 50 oxycodone pills and a peripherally inserted central 
     catheter (PICC or PIC line).
       The next day Jessica's family tried calling her multiple 
     times, as did her sisters. Jessica was supposed to be the 
     maid of honor in her oldest sister's wedding. They even were 
     sending her pictures of dresses. They received no response 
     from Jessica.
       Jessica's family panicked and called the local sheriffs 
     department and they proceeded to conduct a police welfare 
     check on Jessica. Jessica was found dead. Eight of the 50 
     prescribed oxycodone pills were gone. On March 2nd, Jessica 
     became one of the 129.


                    Shawna Gurule--Denver, Colorado

       On May 25, 1990, Shawna's mother was blessed with having 
     the most beautiful daughter. Shawna was the cutest baby--fat 
     and chubby, and hardly ever cried. From an early age, Shawna 
     was full of life. When she was older, she was a cheerleader 
     and loved playing volleyball, singing and dancing. Shawna was 
     passionate about hairstyling and was great at it--she would 
     do all her girlfriend's hair for special occasions.
       Shawna's mother dealt with her daughter's struggles with 
     addiction for years; beginning around 13 or 14 years old, 
     when she was introduced to prescription pills. Consequently, 
     Shawna's behavior started to change, affecting their 
     relationship. Shawna was no longer the baby girl that her 
     mother knew, she was someone else.
       Over the years, Shawna tried to clean up her act, not only 
     for her own well-being, but for her newborn son. In 2015, she 
     was introduced to heroin by the boyfriend she was living 
     with. Shawna hated how overpowering heroin was; she had 
     little control and felt she could not refrain from using.
       On January 9, 2016, Shawna's mother received the dreaded 
     call; Shawna had overdosed in the boyfriend's home and was in 
     critical condition. A mixture of heroin and methamphetamine 
     was found in her system. On January 11th, just three days 
     later, Shawna was pronounced dead.
       ``Heroin came into our lives and now my baby girl is gone 
     forever,'' writes her mother, Rosalie. ``This is what a taste 
     of this drug does. My family will be forever broken.''
       ``Have your stories heard. Say them loudly and help other 
     parents, brothers, sisters, and children through this ugly 
     battle with drugs. Don't enable your children but also don't 
     push them away. I send my prayers and tears for all of our 
     children.''


             Michael Duane ``Mike'' Hannay--Mason, Michigan

       Mike was, and still is, an amazing human being. He had the 
     most contagious smile and the best hair. He was hilarious, 
     sarcastic, and incredibly witty; he had the most amazing 
     sense of humor. Mike had such a big heart and never spoke bad 
     about anyone. He always had a carefree, laid back attitude. 
     Mike was so intelligent--the kind of person who never had to 
     study but still got A's and B's. He could answer any Jeopardy 
     question--things that make most of us say ``Huh?!'' Mike 
     could fix any computer problems in five minutes or less, make 
     you feel better on your absolute worst days, make you laugh 
     until you cried and your cheeks hurt. Mike loved going to car 
     shows with his father. Together, they restored a '57 Chevy 
     the summer before he passed. Mike and I were best friends 
     since we were young and were always doing things together. 
     His family were all so close, a tight-knit family. Seeing 
     Mike suffer from addiction was heartbreaking for all of them.
       Mike hurt his back in a car accident and, like many who 
     succumb to addiction, was prescribed pain medication and 
     Xanax by his doctor. One day, at the end of 2009, Mike 
     crushed his hand at work in a 20-ton brake press, resulting 
     in the amputation of the tips of three of his fingers. He 
     later underwent five surgeries to repair his hand. The 
     severity of his injury, the numerous surgeries, and pain 
     resulted in increased access to prescription medication that 
     enhanced his addiction.
       This was when Mike starting trying heroin. He overdosed 
     twice but made it out alive on both occasions. The first time 
     was in March of 2011 and the second in October of the same 
     year.
       For the next few years, Mike struggled off and on with 
     addiction. Finally, things were looking up. He had a new job 
     and was doing great. Mike was blessed with his first and only 
     nephew six months prior to his passing. Mike had been clean 
     for a year and four months before he relapsed and lost his 
     life on September 20, 2013.
       No one saw this coming, not his friends or his family.


       Hannah Dakota Veit-Hartl--Rancho Palos Verdes, California

       Hannah was a smart, witty, caring young woman. She brought 
     the life to any party with her infectious, sometimes twisted, 
     sense of humor. To her parents, she was the daughter we all 
     hope for. She was a self-motivated honors student, cool-as-a-
     cucumber ice hockey goalie, and a protective big sister to 
     her two siblings. She enjoyed skiing, swimming, traveling and 
     hanging out with her family.
       As Hannah went through her teen years, she gravitated 
     towards a partying culture and became somewhat of a music 
     ``savant.'' As she continued on her college education at 
     UCSC, little did Hannah realize that the all-too-easy to get, 
     ubiquitous, and cheap heroin, would savagely alter her brain 
     chemistry and bring with it the disease of addiction. Lacking 
     a true understanding as to how this drug works, Hannah did 
     not initially recognize the signs of addiction.
       Just last year when Hannah realized that she had become 
     dependent on heroin, she went to Urgent Care to get help. The 
     only ``help'' they could give her was a taxi voucher home. 
     The following day, she returned to the hospital where, again, 
     she was handed a taxi voucher and sent away. In desperation, 
     Hannah called her mom for help. Unfortunately, like most 
     families, Hannah's family understood very little about 
     addiction and heroin. They were unfamiliar with what steps to 
     take to get Hannah the help she needed and they did what they 
     thought was best. Hannah's family sent her to a treatment 
     center, a path which they now understand was ineffective and 
     inadequate on many levels.
       Given that Hannah didn't match the heroin addict stereotype 
     her family had in their minds, as she continued on in college 
     they thought everything was essentially under control. Even 
     after the course of treatment, none of Hannah's family 
     understood the insidiousness of this drug, the relentless 
     grip of addiction, nor the absurd statistical odds against 
     Hannah's survival. Although Hannah's active addiction only 
     lasted for several months, she relapsed with someone she had 
     met at the treatment center. Hannah was able to bounce back 
     and when she began her senior year of college, she believed 
     she was well-equipped to manage her addiction and her family 
     did too.
       Then on March 9, 2016, she died. Hannah's tragic and 
     untimely death at the age of 22 has shaken her family to its 
     deepest core.
       Like many young students during finals, Hannah stayed up 
     for many nights in a row studying. She did not die from a 
     heroin overdose--smart, witty, Hannah made a calculation 
     error. She did not factor exhaustion into the equation when 
     taking ``just a little'' heroin to go to sleep. The dose of 
     heroin itself did not kill her; because she was so exhausted 
     the heroin fatally compromised her natural reflexes to re-
     position herself while she slept. With her head surrounded by 
     an array of pillows, she slowly suffocated. Hannah did not 
     want to die; the morning of her death she had just turned in 
     one of the last term papers she needed to earn her Bachelor's 
     Degree in Psychology. On the floor next to her bed was a pile 
     of LSAT study books and underneath her pillow was a ``To Do'' 
     list.


       Christopher Matthew ``Chris'' Honor--Salem, New Hampshire

       Chris was an average student and loved history class. He 
     played various sports and could spout out statistics about 
     any team. He wanted to become a sports broadcaster and did 
     work for a few seasons with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 
     baseball team.
       When Chris was 12 years old, his mother first started 
     noticing some troubling signs. Chris became more defiant and 
     his moods would change rapidly, from extreme highs to deep 
     low. He scratched at scabs on his arms as a means of escaping 
     feeling. Chris' parents went to court and begged the judge to 
     get

[[Page 16730]]

     Chris evaluated for bipolar disorder. Chris' mother was 
     accused of wanting to simply medicate her difficult child, 
     but all she wanted was to give him a fair shot at life and 
     help him learn to deal with the overwhelming feelings. Soon 
     after, Chris' mother found out he had started experimenting 
     with marijuana.
       When Chris was 17, he was picked up by the police when he 
     was high on ecstasy. After a big fight, Chris left his 
     father's house and went to live with some friends and later, 
     his grandmother. Chris decided he would finish his senior 
     year of high school by taking night classes. He graduated in 
     2011, got a job and started college. Things were looking up. 
     When Chris turned 18, he moved in with a couple of friends 
     and things quickly began to slip. One of his roommates was 
     selling drugs and the police were watching the apartment. One 
     night, the cops raided the apartment and everyone inside was 
     arrested. After that, Chris was subject to random drug 
     testing.
       In 2013, Chris was sent to the county jail for eight 
     months, after threatening his grandmother. When he got out, 
     Chris and his girlfriend, reunited and began abusing drugs 
     together. Chris eventually checked into a treatment center; 
     but once he was stable, the facility needed the bed and Chris 
     was released. Later, when Chris told his probation officer he 
     wouldn't test clean, he was sent back to jail for the 
     weekend.
       The summer after that seemed like a dream for Chris and his 
     girlfriend; they were always laughing and taking endless 
     walks together. On September 25, 2014, Chris' mother got a 
     call from his girlfriend saying Chris was going back to jail 
     for 20 days. Four days later, Chris called from jail to tell 
     his mother that his girlfriend had died from an overdose. He 
     said if he had been home he could have saved her.
       Chris was never the same after that and went back to 
     abusing drugs immediately after being released and he was 
     picked up again by the police on April 15, 2015. When he was 
     released from jail on September 3rd, Chris seemed to be doing 
     well. He applied for a job, and later that day he scheduled a 
     time to get vivitrol shots. The next day Chris called his 
     mother depressed because he missed his girlfriend and said 
     that he never truly dealt with her death. On September 5th, 
     the Jordan family were woken up in the early morning by a 
     policewoman telling them that Chris was found dead.

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