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Personal Stories

Get advice and perspective from families who have also been impacted by substance use or addiction.

On September 1, 2014, I drove my oldest son in an overloaded car to Worcester State University.  I had never felt such pride in my 18 years of parenthood. I dreamt of this milestone. For months, I planned, shopped and looked toward an incredibly bright future.
Valentine’s Day is normally filled with roses and candy, happiness and memories of celebrating the ones we love. I had always been a mom to make a big deal of holidays and birthdays and just as I was staring at my son’s Valentine’s gift bag, our phone rang. At 8:37 pm, on February 14, 2021, our world changed forever.
I sat down to tell Casey’s story and talk about what she and so many others go through, and how where there’s breath, there’s hope.
Our family suffered for years in silence through this horrific journey of my son's heroin addiction, but now we can speak of Ryan’s health problem out loud.
I am grateful for the responsibilities that life presents and, thanks to recovery, I am prepared to face them.