30-year-old Samantha “Sam” was an artist, a model and a teacher. But this beautiful young woman kept a secret that was both painful and shameful to her: she had struggled with heroin addiction. Although she had started a career as a teacher and gotten married, her past always haunted her. In this podcast, Sam’s mom, Kerry, shares her story and why she feels addiction resulted in Sam completing suicide in 2018. Sam’s and Emily’s stories have many similarities; both were beautiful, talented young women from families who truly cared and tried to help them. Angela and Kerry discuss the aftermath of such great loss and what moving forward, following the deaths of their daughters, is like for them now.
A Young, Accomplished Woman’s Secret Struggle with Addiction Results in Suicide
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MEET THE HOST
Angela Kennecke
Angela Kennecke is a journalist who lost her 21-year-old daughter Emily to fentanyl poisoning on May 16, 2018. Angela is “grieving out loud” to try to put an end to this epidemic by stopping the stigma and promoting the treatment of substance use disorder as the disease it is. Anyone coping with loss and looking for inspiration can benefit from listening to this podcast.
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