Megan Kelley, Forever 22, is currently voiceless so I am her voice. On April 14, 2015, I received a phone call at 5 o'clock that changed my life forever. That's when I learned that my youngest daughter, Megan, had died from a preventable drug overdose--forcing me to join a Club I never wanted to join.

 

One month after Megan's death, I shared her story for the first time at Appleton East High School where she had graduated from in 2011. I share Megan’s story of family Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and loss with students, parents, organizations and community members to help prevent others from walking in Megan’s shoes, as well as to prevent other families from experiencing a devastating forever loss of a family member to his or her SUD. SUD does NOT define anyone and it can happen to anyone. There are 89 genes associated with SUD and the very first time a person uses any substance including nicotine and alcohol, he or she begin to turn on SUD genes. I am committed to doing what it takes to make sure another family does not have to endure what our family has had to face on a daily basis. SUD is NOT a choice, however compassion is and the stigmas of SUD have to go.

 

What happened to Megan and our family can happen to anyone! Education and prevention are the keys to helping stop the national Opioid Epidemic and the statewide Alcohol normalization of its use. I also recognize that methamphetamines currently surpass heroin usage. Vaping by middle school, high school and college students is a huge issue. Nicotine is as powerful to one's brain as heroin and cocaine.

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Fentanyl is killing people of any age. Teach your children never to take a pill from anyone other than a doctor, nurse, parent or unless they take it out of their own medication bottle. See the Fentanyl facts on this site for more important information.