WASHINGTON, D.C. – The founder of Emily’s Hope, Angela Kennecke, was among seven community leaders invited to speak at a White House panel discussion as part of International Overdose Awareness Day. Kennecke founded Emily’s Hope after losing her 21-year-old daughter, Emily, to fentanyl poisoning.
The discussion, moderated by Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the National Drug Control Policy, began with a question to Kennecke about her daughter’s death and how she transformed her grief into a powerful mission.
“As a broadcast journalist, I had asked so many parents and other people to talk to me over the years after horrible things had happened in their lives, including child loss,” Kennecke said. “So I knew that I had to speak out if… I could just spare one person this kind of pain; speaking out about it would be worth it.”
Gupta also asked Kennecke what she would have done differently, knowing what she knows now.
“We were three days away from holding an intervention for my daughter because we knew something was terribly wrong,” she said. “I believed she was using Xanax and marijuana only. It turned out that she was using heroin. And then, the day she died, she used heroin laced with fentanyl… I wish I hadn’t waited three days.”
Kennecke also reflected on the stigma surrounding substance use disorder and the shame her daughter felt.
“I know she was ashamed because I found a poem in her journal that now is stuck in my heart,” Kenneke said. “‘Needles in cupboards, needles in veins, needles take away thoughts, desensitize the pain and numb the shame.’”
Though speaking about her daughter’s death is deeply painful, Kennecke hopes that sharing her story will help prevent others from experiencing the same heartbreak.
“We’re working to stop stigma and save lives, and we’re honored to do that at the White House,” Kennecke shared in a social media post.
After the panel discussion, attendees met with Second Gentlemen Doug Emhoff on the Navy steps outside the Vice President’s office.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D. and White House Fellow Bryan Smith delivered remarks marking Overdose Awareness Week along with Gupta.
In addition to the White House event, Emily’s Hope will participate in an International Overdose Awareness Day candlelight vigil in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Saturday. President Biden has declared the week of August 25 through August 31, 2024, Overdose Awareness Week.
This is the second year Kennecke has participated in a White House discussion for International Overdose Awareness Day.
Watch the full discussion below: