Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the Drive for Five is complete. I want to join New England in congratulating our New England Patriots on their incredible victory in Super Bowl LI. Fans across the Granite State agree that Super Bowl LI will go down in history as one of the most amazing comebacks of all time, and it cements the legacy of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as the greatest quarterback-coach duo ever.

The game was remarkable for team effort. After finding themselves down by 25 points, the Patriots did not fall victim to despair. They, instead, showed true resolve and perseverance as the offense executed drive after drive and the defense held the powerful Atlanta offense in check.

Whether it was the record 14 catches by James White, the record 466 passing yards by Tom Brady, the forced fumble by Dont'a Hightower, the mind-boggling catch by Julian Edelman, or the coaching of Bill Belichick, everyone did their part.

So let me take a moment, Mr. Speaker, to say to the New England Patriots: Thanks for doing your job.

Congrats, Pats.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record the personal stories of families from across the country that have been impacted 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 change in Washington and I am proud to preserve their stories.

Kevin ``Kev'' Carotenuto--Prospect Park, Pennsylvania

Kevin ``Kev'' Carotenuto was born on May 3, 1993. By the

time Kevin got to middle school, he was a talented athlete

and very involved in sports, however, school just didn't

click for him. Kev started showing signs of ADHD very early

on. His mother tried to get him an Individualized Education

Program (IEP) but was denied, so she put him in counseling.

Kev turned to drugs to cope with the stress of his struggles.

Kev was arrested shortly after his 18th birthday for

robbery of three houses in his family's neighborhood. He

didn't commit the crimes alone, but wouldn't snitch on his

friends. He received an 18 month sentence in county prison

and $30,000 in restitution. Both Kevin's parents visited him

and put money on his books the entire time he was in prison.

Six months after his release, Kev started using heroin. He

was in and out of countless treatment facilities until he was

sent back to jail in February of 2015. Kev was caught using

heroin in a public bathroom and was arrested for violating

probation. He was sentenced to seven months in county jail.

Kev was released the Monday before Thanksgiving to a local

halfway house. He was put on blackout for seven days and then

was allowed to go out for four hours at a time. Kevin worked

for the newspaper union as an extra so he would call in daily

for work. The Thursday after Thanksgiving Kevin was booked

for an 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift.

Kev told the halfway house that he had work but proceeded

to contact a cellie from jail who came to pick him up. When

Kev arrived back at the halfway house he tested hot for

suboxone. He was kicked out immediately and the halfway house

never notified his family. Kevin was on the streets for a

week before he came clean with his mother.

Kev said it was time for him to be a man and he would get

himself to rehab. He was approved for 26 days of treatment.

Seven days before his release, Kev's mother requested a

family meeting with his counselor. The counselor informed her

that on Monday the aftercare specialist was going to have a

conference call between Kev, herself and the counselor.

Monday came and went and no call, so Kev's mother started

leaving messages with the counselor. She called everyday and

left messages--no response.

January 7, 2016, came around and Kev said, ``Ma, come get

me, I got my coin.'' Off she went to pick him up. He came

home so happy and ready to stay clean. He went to probation

the next day where he asked the probation officer (PO) to see

him twice a week to keep him honest, which the PO did for one

week. The following week the PO told Kev he didn't have time

to see him so often. The PO ordered Kev to complete IOP, so

on January 8th he called and was told the first opening was

22 days away. Kevin went 22 days with no treatment except for

NA meetings and a bible study group of men in recovery.

On the 29th of January Kev went to IOP for his evaluation

and when he came out he said, ``All good, my first session is

on February 1st.'' On February 1st Kev's mother woke up and

went into Kev's room and found him sitting on the side of the

bed with his head in his hands and his hoodie on. She said

his name two times and got no response. She then called 911.

When she went to touch Kevin's shoulder, his stiff body fell

to the floor. His mother saw the needle 1/2 full of clear

liquid. She went to move his hoodie to get to his neck to

check his pulse and all she saw was the side of his face--

purple and cold. He was Dead. A mother's worst fear comes

true.

Kev passed away on February 2, 2016, from an overdose of

poisoned heroin.

Jessica Mary Miller--Glenshaw, Pennsylvania

Jessica Mary Miller died at the age of 31. Jessica

struggled with addiction for 15 years and was also afflicted

with severe mental illness.

Jessica died at the hands of her mentally ill boyfriend.

She had been in the relationship for only five months and

thought she found the ``love'' of her life. Jessica had been

doing much better than she had been past, and her mother was

hopeful she may be ready to overcome her struggles with

addiction. But like many women who battle addiction, she

desired a partner who would make her feel worthy and wanted.

It didn't matter what they looked like, how old they were, or

what they provided financially--she just needed assurance

from a romantic relationship.

One night, after Jessica boyfriend's unemployment check

came in, they got into a fight about how the money was going

to be spent. Her mother only assumes this was the main

argument from the phone call she got from Jessica that night.

After they spoke on phone at approximately 10 p.m., the

police were at Jessica's mother's door at 5 a.m. to tell her

Jessica had been strangled and was found outside the steps of

her apartment. At first, the police told her mother that

Jessica died by suicide but the boyfriend was later charged

and convicted for murder by strangulation and is now serving

25 years in jail.

Jessica's mother is writing to show that not only drug

overdoses are killing our children, but also the fall out of

both drug use and mental instability. Not only girlfriends or

spouses, but the innocent children who can't fend for

themselves when their parents are so engulfed in their

addiction.

It has been three years since Jessica's death and there

isn't a day that goes by that her mother doesn't think of

her. Many might fmd this strange, but her mother does not

hate the person who took Jessica's life, as he is just as

sick as Jessica was. They chose to be together and she knew

what he was like, and chose to stay. A mentally healthy

person would not put herself in that position. This was not

Jessica's only bad romantic relationship, they were all bad,

and her addiction drove her from one bad relationship to

another.

Kent David Charles Edwards--Phoenix, Arizona

Kent Edwards, 18 years old, died of an accidental

prescription drug overdose in 2003. One night during his

sophomore year of high school, Kent called his mother to say

that he was out with some friends and wasn't coming home that

night. He was calling because he didn't want to worry his

mother, but when they hung up she knew something was wrong.

Kent's mother waited for him when he came home at 6:00 a.m.

Life changed for the Kent's family that morning. Kent went

to the doctor and tested positive for substances. His family

restricted and monitored Kent's activities.They made a lot of

changes that next year and Kent adjusted fairly well. He

transferred schools and graduated with ease. Kent got a job

he loved and spent time with his friends and family. His

family thought they had dodged the bullet--Kent didn't want

to be addicted to drugs so they mistakenly thought they were

in the clear. It seemed that all was well, but Kent's family

didn't know any better.

Before Kent turned 18, he was scheduled to have his wisdom

teeth removed. His mother filled the prescription before his

surgery. As she was looking at the bottles, she noticed that

one of them had fewer pills in it than the other. When she

confronted Kent about it he admitted to having taken some.

She asked Kent why and his answer was chilling. He asked

his mother to think about a time in her life when she had

felt ``Great''--``The Best.'' When she nodded Kent said,

``The first time you get high, it's better than that. It

feels so good that you want to feel that way again--only it's

physically, chemically impossible.'' He explained how the

drugs alter your brain chemistry and why people take more and

increase their frequency of use in an attempt to get back to

the feeling of that first high.

On a Monday in September, 2003, there was a knock on the

Kent's family's door and soon they heard the words: ``Your

son has died.''

Kent and two other kids crushed some Oxycontin and washed

them down with beer. Kent got sleepy and the other two left.

As Kent slept, the drug slowed his respiratory system down

until it stopped completely. His roommate found him the next

day--already gone.

Caleb Smythia--Loudon, Tennessee

Caleb Smythia, oldest of four, was his mother's biggest fan

and the idol of his

brother and two sisters. Caleb was a great cook, loved all

kinds of music and had a passion for playing the guitar.

Music became so much a part of Caleb's life because he found

it to be therapeutic.

Caleb's struggles began at age 16. He went through many

rough patches and began abusing methamphetamine. When objects

and money kept missing at home, his mother filed an unruly

charge against him and Caleb became a child of the state. He

spent over a year and a half in three different foster homes

and one group home. Unfortunately, Caleb was never placed in

a treatment facility, even though he relapsed and tested

positive for five different drugs in his system.

When Caleb eventually went home, he seemed to have his life

back on track. After graduating high school, Caleb had hopes

of going to culinary school. However, within days after

graduating, Caleb returned to his old friends who were

abusing methamphetamine and pills.

Eventually, problems with Caleb were so bad that his mother

told him he was no longer welcome in her home. One late night

in the pouring rain, Caleb knocked on the door. His mother

told Caleb she would take him to the ER or to a treatment

facility but he couldn't come into the house. Even though

Caleb was at such a low point and begged for help, the ER

turned him away.

Another night Caleb arrived at his mother's door bloodied

and broken. Caleb had been beaten and tortured for two hours

by eight members of the local college baseball team. One of

the players had given Caleb $35 and asked him to get

Percocet. Caleb was so deep in his addiction that he kept the

money in order to get a fix. To retaliate, the team forced a

mutual friend to trick Caleb into another drug deal. When

Caleb went to meet the friend, he was abducted, thrown in the

back of a truck, and held down by his throat. The baseball

team drove Caleb to a field where he was kicked and stomped

while curled in a fetal position. Caleb begged for his life

and promised to pay them $50 if they let him go. The next

day, two of the boys came to Caleb's mother's house to get

the money. One of them was holding the same baseball bat they

had used to break Caleb's knee the night before. Three of the

eight boys were charged and convicted of felony assault for

which they received 10 years probation. Caleb refused to

testify against his attackers in court because he felt like

he deserved the beating.

The Caleb's family soon moved and everything seemed to be

well again. However, Caleb's mother worked two jobs and

didn't know that Caleb was getting into his grandmother's

pain pills. Caleb went to live 200 miles away with his

father. Unfortunately, Caleb wasn't kept safe--his father

also had a substance abuse disorder. Caleb overdosed and died

on Christmas morning of 2015, after being sold a black market

pills that contained fentanyl.

Michael ``Mike'' James Turner--Norwalk, Connecticut

So many people think ``drunk'' or ``junkie'' when they see

someone suffering from addiction. What they can't see is a

person that is stuck in a body they can no longer control.

Mike Turner suffered from addiction. He was also type I

diabetic and had a chiari malformation in his brain. He had a

long history of alcohol and drug abuse and in the end, it was

heroin that took him. Those were Mike's labels, but that is

not who Mike was--the man he was, was an affectionate,

exciting and hilarious dad, boyfriend, son, brother, and

uncle. He had integrity, he was honest, and charitable. Mike

participated in Chiari Malformation Cancer, Autism and

Addiction events. He planned on going back to school to

become an addiction counselor.

Mike acknowledged his issues and fought to better himself

in the best way he knew how. Mike even went through a

parenting course to try to be a better dad. He loved his

kiddos--Mike Jr. and Amber--more than anything. He was all

about his family and looked forward to weekly Sunday dinners

at his mom's house.

Mike was a funny guy--pretty clumsy and always getting into

mischief. He was so positive and encouraged everyone around

him in their pursuits. Everyone who knew the real Mike loved

him.

Mike had his demons, however, and he knew that overcoming

his addiction was the most important thing. As long as he was

using he was useless to his kids, his family, and his job.

Mike knew the hurt his addiction caused others and that

destroyed him. It devastated his family to witness his hurt

and share his pain. Mike tried detoxing and treatment

numerous times. He was part of a group called the SNAKES--

Soldiers Needing Accountability Keeping Each Other Sober in

Christ. In April 2016, he graduated from a program with 9

months clean.

On April 22, 2016, just three weeks after his graduation,

Mike was living with his girlfriend, Theresa, again: He woke

up with a start that morning and said he had low blood sugar.

By 8:30 a.m., his sugar was up and he said he was feeling

much better.

Mike's last message to Theresa was at 9:17 a.m.: ``no

worries im alive :cP.'' Theresa called him after her meeting

around 10:30. He didn't answer so she called again . . .

still no answer. She kept trying. Theresa had another meeting

that ended around 11:45. She tried calling again and there

was still no answer. Fearful that his sugar had dropped too

low, she ran home. When Theresa got home around 12:30 p.m.,

she opened the door and found Mike.

Mike had relapsed after being 9 months clean. Theresa had

no idea that he had been using. He overdosed some time

between 9:17 and 10:30 that morning, on April 22, 2016. He

was 33 years old.

Nicholas Wade Branham--Frederick, Maryland

Nicholas Wade Branham passed away from a heroin overdose on

July 15, 2016. He was 30 years old.

Nicholas was born on December 30, 1985. He struggled with

addiction for several years, along with his girlfriend, who

preceded him in death on January 16, 2011. It was her passing

that helped him to get his life together and to get clean.

Nicholas had been sober for almost five years; therefore, his

passing was complete shock to me and utterly devastating. He

was my son. He was my best friend. He was my everything.

Nicholas had a passion for tattoos and cooking. He was very

sarcastic and funny--he always made me laugh. His family

misses his laughter so much. Nicholas had such a kind heart.

His mother loves to hear his friends tell stories of how

Nicholas would prank them, but more importantly of how he

would rescue them in a time of need or just be there for them

if they needed someone to talk to.

``I really just don't understand any of this,'' writes his

mother. ``I hate that this is my son's legacy because he was

so much more than that. Nicholas was a good person, a son, a

grandson, a nephew, a cousin and a friend. He is so sorely

missed. Rest in peace my dear sweet boy.''

John ``Bubba'' Carter--Pelham, New Hampshire

John ``Bubba'' Carter died of a drug overdose on July 16,

2016.

Bubba was a sweet young man. He was always looking out for

others and putting them above himself. Watching Bubba self-

destruct was like a heart palpitation that just wouldn't

quit. He was one of those people that you only get once in a

lifetime; one of those people who changes your life the

second they enter it. Their smile lights up your life, and

it's something that never fails to make your day one hundred

percent better. Bubba will always be that person for his

sister--the person who could always make her day better just

by being around. Bubba never knew how much he was loved and

how many people cared about him. He grew up in a loving home

with parents that never kept alcohol or prescription drugs

around. His mother is a police officer, who sees the tragedy

of what drugs do to families every day on the streets, and

his father has been in recovery for 20 plus years; it just

goes to show that drug addiction can happen to anyone.

Bubba started using drugs when he was 13 years old. First

it was marijuana and alcohol, and soon after he was

introduced to Adderall, Percocet, cocaine, and heroin. His

drug addiction took over his life quickly. The times Bubba

was strong enough to ask for help, he would. Bubba went to

his first treatment facility when he was 15 years old, after

he overdosed by mixing adderall and alcohol while at a party

in town. ``It was hard to see my mother struggling to get her

son back from the drug monsters that controlled him,'' writes

Bubba's sister.

Bubba attempted many times to live a life of sobriety. At

16 years old, he entered his second treatment facility, after

having high levels of THC that put him into a drug-induced

psychosis. After completing this program, Bubba attempted to

attend AA and NA meeting regularly but the triggers that

surrounding him were too strong. The stigma of drug addiction

surrounded him everywhere he went. Bubba encountered people

that would attack his sobriety by bringing up his past drug

use. This made him feel as if no matter how hard he tried to

stay clean Ile was still living in the shadows of his

addiction.

On March 17, 2016, with the help of family and friends,

Bubba entered his final detox and treatment facility. After

three weeks, he left the facility and returned home. His

family learned later on that Bubba maintained a full 30 days

of sobriety on his own between March and April. He was very

proud of himself. Bubba relapsed in May of 2016.

Two weeks prior to Bubba's death on June 30, 2016, his

entire family, along with some of his friends, attempted an

intervention. At the time Bubba was no longer living at home.

Although his family kept in contact with him, they had

decided to stop enabling him hoping he would choose recovery

again. During this intervention the police were also involved

and tried to help him, but because Bubba knew all the

``right'' words to say, their hands were tied. They then

learned that Bubba had started using heroin intravenously.

On that same day but before the intervention, Bubba called

his sister and ask to meet up to talk. She frequently

recorded conversations with him hoping one day she could use

them as a strategy to encourage him to stay clean. His sister

immediately went to see him. When they met, Bubba spoke about

his goals, and how he no longer wanted to live a life that

made him feel unworthy to be loved. Bubba didn't want to cry

anymore, didn't want to feel hungry because he spent all his

money of drugs and didn't want to struggle. That's when his

sister noticed the track marks on his arms. ``My heart ached.

My face drained in color and I started to shake. I didn't

want to see my little brother hurting. Before I drove off,

Bubba asked for a hug and said `If I don't see you in two

weeks, I want you to know I love you.' But I didn't know two

weeks was going to come so soon.''

Even though Bubba was suffering from addiction, it never

stopped him from caring for and loving others; he was always

putting people before himself. After his death, his family

have had many strangers and friends contact them and told

them stories about their interactions with him. Bubba always

expressed to his family, that he was an outsider and did not

have many friends, but they knew that was his addiction

making him believe those lies. As his family saw from the

outpour of support from extended family, friends and the

community, Bubba was loved beyond measure. They got a letter

from a neighbor that said Bubba helped her weed her yard

because he saw her struggling to walk with her cane. She

didn't know who he was until she saw his obituary in the

paper. Another girl told them about how Bubba paid for her

coffee in the drive thru and they became close friends and

encouraged each other daily.

``Addiction is real,'' writes Bubba's sister. ``It is

affecting families everyday and making them question if

they're going to see their loved ones ever again. It's time

for us to unite and break the silence.''

``I know that if my brother was here he would tell everyone

struggling that it is okay to reach out for help, it doesn't

make you weak. You need to associate with people who inspire

you, people who challenge you to rise higher, people who make

you better. Don't waste your valuable time with people who

are not adding to your growth. Your destiny is too

important.''

``Our brothers and sisters are the first real relationships

we have outside of our parents. Bubba was my brother--my

first friend and the first person I learned to play with,

share with, and laugh with. Bubba was the first person who

picked on me, fought with me and taught me forgiveness. A

life without him was never in sight. And I think that's the

hardest thing to get over.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record the personal stories of families from across the country that have been impacted 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 change in Washington and I am proud to preserve their stories.

Carlton Fredrick Messinger II--Holderness, New Hampshire

On Sunday, September 28, 2014, Carlton's (Carl) family

found out that he had been using heroin on and off for about

a year. They were as shocked and bewildered as any parents

could possibly be. They asked themselves: ``How does a young

adult who is a college graduate and taking advanced classes

in chemistry and biology, getting A's & B's in the classes so

he can apply to dental school use heroin?'' His mother

immediately thought that's not my child, there has to be a

mistake. How did we miss this? How does a functioning member

of society who six months ago started a thriving eBay

business selling vintage transformer toys use heroin? There

were many questions swirling around in her head after being

told about Carl's heroin use. She felt, and still does feel,

at times, that she is in a movie and this has not really

happened to her family. She feels that Carl is out of town

and will be coming back home someday. But then reality hits

and she realizes Carl is never coming home.

Within minutes of being told about Carl using heroin, his

family confronted him. After a lengthy, calm, and rational

discussion, he confessed to using and that he was weaning

himself off of it with Suboxone. Carl told his parents he

wanted their help. The result of that meeting was an

agreement: Carl would immediately enter a detox program, then

enter a treatment facility.

After six phone calls and much frustration, his mother

finally found a detox center that would take Carl. The reason

for her frustration was not that there wasn't a bed available

or that they didn't take their insurance;

the real frustration was his mother was told over and over

again that if they didn't take our insurance, they could not

accept him as a cash-only client. These specific detox

centers had an agreement with insurance companies that they

would accept approved insurance clients only.

Carl's mother finally found The Farnum Center in

Manchester, NH, where Carl could enter as cash paying

inpatient client if their insurance denied the request for

coverage. As expected, their insurance denied the request to

cover detox treatment for drug addiction. His mother was told

that if Carl had an alcohol addiction it would be covered.

She was also told that the insurance companies did not think

you could die from drug detox.

Carl entered The Farnum Center detox program on Wednesday

morning, October 1, 2014. At the end of the six-day inpatient

program, everyone in the facility was convinced that Carl was

going to make it. They made his family feel wonderful about

their son; Carl had stopped using heroin on his own two

months prior and was now detoxing off of suboxone. They also

mentioned how Carl had helped other patients realize they

could be treated for heroin addiction and have a better life.

Before departing, the discharging doctor mentioned that if

Carl was not ready to go right into rehab, he may be able to

stay clean on his own since he had already stopped using

heroin on his own and had previously used suboxone.

In another lengthy, calm, and rational discussion Carl made

a case for not going to a treatment facility. Based on Carl's

request, and the information his family received from the

detox doctors, they ultimately agreed. After he successfully

completed the detox program Carl moved home, and his parents

felt they could monitor his progress adequately. They all

agreed that he would have to stay clean and sober during this

two-week trial period. At the end of the two weeks, Carl

would be drug tested. If he tested positive he would enter

treatment immediately. If at any time after the two week

period Carl tested positive for drugs he would immediately go

to treatment, no discussion. At the end of the two weeks,

Carl took the drug test and passed with flying colors. His

family congratulated him, and hugged him. They truly felt

they had their son back and on the road to recovery.

On Tuesday, October 21, 2014, Carl came down with a bad

upper respiratory infection and was taken to the doctor the

next day. Carl's parents found out later that he never saw

his regular doctor for this visit. He saw a doctor who was

not familiar with Carl's medical history, and had no idea

that he had just come out of detox for heroin addiction. They

also discovered later that Carl's primary care doctor never

wrote in his chart about his heroin addiction, and having

just completed detox. Even though his primary care doctor was

part of the process of getting Carl help.

Carl's parents found out after his death that the doctor

never asked him if he had any alcohol or drug abuse issues

before prescribing a codeine cough syrup for the infection.

They learned that, five years before, the medical center had

removed a template that would cue doctors to ask patients

about substance use disorders prior to prescribing a

narcotic. Carl's mother had a conversation with the CFO of

this medical center, only to be told that, ``Yeah, we don't

do such a good job with this issue. Our clinicians need to be

mindful of these issues.''

When Carl's mother picked up the prescription for Carl, she

was not aware that Cheratussin AC Syrup is a codeine cough

syrup. There were no labels on the bottle stating that this

cough medicine does in fact have codeine, and it can

stimulate drug-seeking behavior. However, buried on the

second page of the patient prescription information sheet it

lists the following: ``Though very--unlikely abnormal, drug-

seeking behavior is possible with this medication.''

The codeine in the cough syrup triggered the need for Carl

to use again. His mother found him dead in his bathroom, with

the syringe still in his hand. The memory of finding him

cold, dead and blue will be something she lives with every

day. ``This is an experience no parent should have to go

through,'' writes Carl's mother.

``Carl died from fentanyl intoxication. There was no heroin

in Carl's system, only fentanyl and codeine from the cough

medicine. As my husband has said: this was the perfect storm.

Unfortunately it took our son's life. Carl never had a chance

to embrace sobriety. I feel some of the people we put our

trust in failed Carl.''

``Carl was an educated, smart, and vital young man who came

from a family who loved him very much. He had his whole life

ahead of him and is sorely missed by his parents, brother,

family, friends and everyone that knew him. We know Carl is

in a better place. Carl will always be in our hearts.''

Tyler Reed--Poteau, Oklahoma

Tyler came into this world on January 27, 1992. Tyler was a

natural fighter, independent and won the hearts of everyone

he met. He excelled in all sports but was most passionate

about baseball until ninth grade when he suddenly lost

interest and quit playing. It was later learned that he had

started experimenting with marijuana and alcohol and as a

result, he started getting into trouble at school. As a

single mother, Tyler's mom found herself at odds with a

strong-willed boy who told her he just wanted ``to have fun

and not be tied down by responsibilities, those will come

soon enough.'' By the time Tyler graduated high school in

2010, he was using marijuana and alcohol almost daily and

experimented with K2, bath salts and Xanax.

Tyler had dreams of becoming a Texas Ranger, but he had

gone too far into his head and couldn't see a way out. He had

gotten in trouble with the law for underage drinking and

possession of marijuana on several occasions. He finally got

his head clear for a while and started working on the road to

pay off his fines. Everything seemed to be falling into

place, but his love for fun and adventure kept him searching

for the next good time.

On many occasions Tyler woke up still wasted, wondering

where his money went. In May 2015 he came to me once again

and said he was tired of the life he was living. He asked his

mother for help. Tyler longed to have a straight mind and

clean life but he just couldn't seem to shake the addiction.

Despite his desire to clean up, he refused to go to an

inpatient facility. As a nurse his mother set an alternative

plan of care in motion and he stayed clean and sober for 29

days, until one day he left and she didn't hear from him for

weeks. When his mother put out a missing person alert he

surfaced just to let her know he was OK; she knew he was

using again.

They talked off and on for a month while he was staying

with a woman known in town to be a meth user. When she was

arrested in August 2015 Tyler came asking for a place to

stay. His mother let him stay under the conditions that he

would get a job and stay drug-free. He did for a while but

quickly reverted back to his partying lifestyle. She

struggled with him and the choices he was making. His mother

didn't know how to handle it.

One of Tyler's friends was found dead in a field from an

overdose of meth, and Tyler was questioned in his death.

Tyler's innocence was later proven, but that didn't curb the

harassment he took from people that still believed he was

guilty. That event shook Tyler and his mother thought he was

on his way to being clean and sober. He seemed ready to

conquer the world.

On February 6, 2016, Tyler went out with some people he

thought he could trust. They drank and smoked pot and when

Tyler passed out one of them shot him in the spine with a

lethal dose of methamphetamines. Tyler was rushed into the

hospital at 3:00 AM on February 7, 2016, with a core

temperature of 108 degrees. The doctors didn't expect him to

make it past the hour, but Tyler lived for 24 days in

critical condition with severe multi-system organ failure. He

was never able to speak a word again but he communicated with

eye and hand movement. Drugs took his life away and his

mother believes he realized that on March 2, 2016, when he

tried to climb out of the hospital bed--it was as if he was

saying, ``I am out of here momma, I'm going home.''

``Tyler lived a short 24 years,'' writes his mother. ``He

had so much more life to live. As I said before, Tyler was a

fighter and very independent, he wasn't going to be taken

care of for the rest of his life. He thought he had control

over his addiction and that he wasn't hurting anyone but

himself. But there are so many of us hurting because his life

ended on March 3, 2016, when he stopped fighting and was set

free from the pain. I hope and pray that sharing his story

will help someone else who is struggling. I have to believe

that his life was not cut short for nothing, that good things

will rise out of this tragedy. Rest, my sweet Tyler, and save

a place for me. I'll be home soon. Until then I will share

your story with whoever will listen!''

Adam Schultz--Sandy, Utah

Adam Schultz was an incredible person, who lost his life to

an accidental heroin overdose on November 24, 2012, after 150

days of being clean. He struggled every day with a substance

use disorder. Adam worked hard on his recovery through

treatment, recovery support, and medication.

Adam was born December 19, 1989, and his family were lucky

enough to bring him home on Christmas Eve. He was their 9 lb.

4 oz. big, baby boy. Adam was always smiling and happy. He

learned to walk at a very young age and his motor was always

running. His family often referred to him as the ``Adam

Bomb.'' At five years old he was diagnosed with ADHD and put

on medication for hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Adam was gifted with his hands. He loved woodworking and

became the handyman around the house. He was computer-

literate and had received his A+ certification as a computer

technician as well. He was regularly called by many with PC

emergencies and were in need of troubleshooting or computer

repairs. Adam never hesitated to help when asked. However,

his true passion was working on cars. At age 13, he bought a

1966 mustang and decided to restore it himself and worked on

it all through high school. He also loved his Mitsubishi

Eclipse and always kept it in tip-top shape.

As a teen, Adam struggled with depression and it was

difficult to find the right treatment. The doctors put him on

multiple medications, which ended up causing seizures. He was

then diagnosed with epilepsy and once the medication was

adjusted the seizures stopped.

Despite all the diagnoses and medications, the one that had

the biggest impact on Adam's life came in 2007, when he was

17 years old. Adam was diagnosed with degenerative disk

disease and given a prescription for OxyContin. This

dangerously addictive

medication quickly became a problem, and Adam was soon

physically dependent, not just for pain but also to function

in his daily life. This was where his addiction began.

In January 2008, at 18 years old, Adam checked himself into

the hospital for being suicidal. He was then diagnosed with

bipolar disorder and an addiction to opiates. He received

counseling, started on bipolar meds, and was put on high

doses of Suboxone to help with his addiction and also relieve

his back pain. But six months later, after another night in

the psych ward, he gave up on that medication and started

using heroin.

``It is absolutely paralyzing to learn that your son has a

substance use disorder,'' writes Adam's mother. ``The stigma

of having a child struggling with addiction caused us to

withdraw rather than seek help. We learned how to live life

with the truth hidden in the back of our hearts. We knew Adam

was more than his addiction, and we desperately wanted our

boy back.''

Adam suffered and struggled for many years; finally, he

found a medication that seemed to work for him. Adam received

injections of Vivitrol for opioid addiction, and his life

started getting back on track. After not using for 13 months,

he relapsed and this time he started injecting heroin. After

a six-month relapse, he set up an appointment to start

receiving his Vivitrol shots again. In early November of that

year, Adam was due for another injection. When he went in for

his appointment, he managed to convince his doctor that he

was ready to ``try'' one month without the shot. His entire

life, Adam hated being on medication; whenever he started

doing better, he insisted he didn't need it any more. So he

stopped taking Vivitrol and scheduled an appointment for

December to be re-evaluated.

Weeks later, Adam totaled his car on his way home from

work. This was just too much and, after 150 days of not using

heroin, Adam relapsed and lost his battle with addiction.

Over 300 people attended his funeral. A woman Adam worked

with told his family that just a few days before, Adam would

have stopped to help someone fix a flat tire; this just goes

to show you that people are more than their addictions.

Andrew Benjamin Smith--Las Vegas, Nevada

Margie Borth's world was forever changed on October 5,

2014, when her husband uttered those words: ``I just received

an email--Andrew is addicted to heroin.'' The news hit like a

baseball bat between the eyes. Suddenly, all of the questions

she'd been struggling with regarding her son were answered:

Why so many car accidents? Why is he so distant? Why does he

get mad and refuse to talk? Why doesn't he have any money?

Still I tried--I tried everything I could possibly think to

do in such a desperate situation. I begged, sobbed, hugged,

listened, scolded, yelled, pleaded--I mothered. I bargained

with Andrew and with God.

But he was just visiting for the weekend and soon he had to

get back to his job. Within two weeks, he was in the hospital

with his first DUI and another wrecked car. He had overdosed

on the streets of Las Vegas while driving. Thank god no one

was hurt. He died just 21 days later, after spending a short

stint in rehab.

When remembering Andrew, the first thing people talk about

is his intellect. He was extremely bright; he thrived in

accelerated programs and graduated from college in three

short years. Many of his friends have said, ``He was the

smartest guy I've ever met.'' Then we remember his razor-

sharp, witty, often self-effacing sense of humor. Andrew was

also inquisitive, a good listener and a loyal friend. He was

polite and people took to liking him immediately.

He was driven and it seemed as though he had the world at

his fingertips. Andrew was confident about his opinions, view

of the world and goals in life. He inspired many people

during his short life. He was well loved by co-workers and a

role-model for new employees at his new position in Las

Vegas. His employer said they had so many plans for Andrew's

future. She told me he always volunteered for extra projects,

never complained and would have given the shirt off his back

to someone in need.

Andrew began experimenting with drugs in high school, but

his addiction to Oxycontin developed in 2009 while he was

attending college in Florida during the Pill Mills--Oxy was

cheap and readily available. Andrew often expressed his

frustration with trying to find people on his intellectual

level; Oxy made him feel more like everyone else. Oxy made

people, life and college feel tolerable. Throughout the

trajectory of his use, he thought he was in control. Even

when he was forced to switch to heroin in 2014, he told a

friend, ``Heroin is not so bad, it's just like Oxy.'' In

August 2014, he took a job promotion in Las Vegas and thought

he could leave heroin behind: ``Mom, I never planned to do

heroin here,'' he said. ``I planned to quit, but I realized I

was an addict when I got to Las Vegas and still had to have

it.'' Even at the very end, when his life really began to

unravel, he still thought he had the upper hand on this drug.

He refused long-term treatment and thought he could return to

work after detox. I spend the last 6 days of his life with

him, he was clean for 19 days before he overdosed. During

that time, he told me what I wanted to hear, ``I don't want

to do heroin again, Mom.'' But he struggled; he was deeply

sad and ashamed of what his life had become. On the surface,

he was a successful corporate executive who appeared to have

everything in check. He had great credit and a 401k. But in

reality, he was a struggling addict who lived for Oxycontin

and ultimately heroin--he was desperate to keep it a secret.

On a Monday afternoon, on November 10, 2014, Andrew handed

me two red roses and said he wanted to go to an AA meeting. I

was so excited that he was finally making progress and

dropped him off at a meeting soon after. An hour later when

he didn't respond to my texts or phone calls, I knew in my

heart what had happened. The hospital called 45 minutes

later. He was found in the bathroom of a Petsmart just down

the street. It was too late to save him. He died alone.

I simply miss my son--he was my only boy and my youngest.

Even though we lived in different cities, he was always

present in my life except for the few times that he distanced

himself due to his drug use. Even then, I knew I'd eventually

get a phone call and a visit. I had hopes of grandchildren

because he talked about becoming a father someday. He wanted

to meet someone educated, maybe a doctor.

What I miss most is what could have been. He talked about

wanting to move to the Pacific Northwest eventually, close to

Portland, OR, where I live. I always thought he would join

us. I miss his open-mindedness and intellect. His willingness

to try new foods, adventures, places, his sense of humor. I

miss our playful banter. I miss every phone call that ended

in, ``I Love You''. Now there is just an enormous void in my

life where he used to be. Sadness and tears are now a part of

my everyday.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record the personal stories of families from across the country that have been impacted 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 change in Washington and I am proud to preserve their stories.

Zachary ``Zach'' Len--Bridgewater, New Jersey

Zach was born on April 20, 1989. He grew up in the ice

rink--he started skating at four and never stopped. Zach had

a way about him, always smiling and laughing. He was always

quiet and shy at first but once he was comfortable he would

open up. When Zach went to college, he started to dabble with

prescription pills. Zach did a great job hiding his addiction

from the world. Eventually, it became clear that he had a

problem, and that it was out of control. That is when the

cycle of detox and enrollment in treatment centers began.

This vicious cycle would take place every couple of months;

Zach would be sober for some time, relapse, then start the

cycle all over again.

Zach and his sister's relationship became very rocky during

the three years prior to his death. She could read Zach like

a book and he knew that. When Zach would use he would stay as

far away from his sister as possible and, when he was sober,

it was like learning to love a new person. ``I couldn't stand

being around him when he was using,'' writes his sister. ``He

was nasty and argumentative. I would have done anything in my

power to take this burden away from Zach, but he was the only

one who had the power to change and overcome his struggles.

And he tried. He tried so hard.''

Zach touched many lives with his strength, determination,

courage, and compassion. Zach was an amazing chef, and was

able to make anyone laugh. He loved his friends more than

anything else and would do anything for them. Everyone wanted

the same thing for Zach: they wanted him to be happy and

sober, but most of all they wanted Zach to stay alive. Zach

was a free spirit and wasn't afraid to be who he was. He

loved going to shows with his friends, and supporting their

bands. He would even make them continue to jam when everyone

else was done. Zach would dance this dorky silly dance,

smile, and enjoy life. He never seemed to worry about what

the next day would bring.

But things are not always as they seem. Zach was ashamed of

his addiction; he kept it very private and vary rarely would

ask for help--he wanted to keep his closest friends out of

that part of his life.

``It will be three years on January 28, 2017, and the pain

doesn't seem to ever go away,'' writes his sister. ``All of

us--me, my parents, and Zach's friends are still learning to

live this `new normal' life, a life without Zach.''

``On that cold Tuesday, we lost a son, a grandson, a

brother, a nephew, a cousin, a best friend. I will never get

to go to a New York Ranger game like we always talked about,

or a Dave Matthews concert. So many things we had always

talked about, that now I will experience by myself for the

both of us.''

``I'm so thankful for all the times we shared and all of

the memories we made as kids and as adults. I will treasure

them always. They are frozen in time in my mind. Images of

Zach at happier times is the way I want to remember him. They

say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I couldn't agree

more.''

Daniel Aaron Lucewich--Perth Amboy, New Jersey

Daniel was considered the Golden Boy in his family. He had

a high IQ and was loved by all of his teachers. Growing up,

Daniel worked for his aunt and uncle at the family

restaurant, Peter Pank; he was often referred to as the

``Prince of the Pank.''

Daniel cherished the holidays and everything they were

about--especially how it brought his extended family

together. During the holidays, Daniel would put up all the

outdoor decorations--his family even won a place in our

township's holiday decorating contests for several years.

From the age of ten, Daniel was well known within his family

for being extremely skilled at assembling anything; he could

put things together without the instructions.

Daniel loved surfing. He and his friends would surf off the

inlet near Point Pleasant. He also enjoyed bowling and

golfing with his uncle and hanging with his cousins playing

cards. However, Daniel's most passionate hobby was buying

cars and fixing them up.

Daniel was always there for his friends. He was the person

they called when they needed a hand moving, painting an

apartment, or even changing a flat tire at three in the

morning. Daniel truly had a heart of gold. He lit up a room

just by walking into one. Daniel loved his two sisters Fallon

and Katie and his older brother Christopher.

His entire family loves and misses him dearly.

Alexander ``Alex'' Joseph Marks--Huntington Beach, California

The final death certificate from the Orange County Coroner

arrived in the Marks family mailbox: ``Cause of death: acute

heroin intoxication.'' On February 6th, 2013, Alex's father

found their 19-year-old son, Alexander Joseph Marks, dead in

his bedroom at their home in Huntington Beach, California.

His family found a needle and heroin on Alex's desk. They

couldn't believe that Alex had turned to heroin and were

devastated to learn this was the way their son had died.

As you can imagine, the Marks family are having a difficult

time. The wound is so deep, so raw; they thought he had

overcome his addiction. Alex was working over college break

before he was to go back to school to become an electrician.

Externally, it looked like he was doing well, but now his

family understands that internally, he was sick with the

disease of addiction. There was no note . . . Alex's family

learned later that he had accidentally overdosed because

after so many months of being clean, his tolerance was low.

During elementary and junior high school Alex was bullied.

He had two rare medical conditions; Osteochondromatosis (a

rare bone disease) and Von Willebrand (a blood clotting

disease), in addition to mental health issues. At a young

age, he had experiences that no kid should; many surgeries

after which he was prescribed pain medications, countless

doctor visits, and home health care nurses who administered

IV medication. He was diagnosed with ADHD around the 5th

grade.

Alex's Grandma died during his freshman year of high

school. She had been the rock in his life and he had a hard

time living without her. He began self-medicating with pot

and alcohol to cover his grief, which eventually led to him

using pills and other drugs. Meanwhile, he was having a rough

time trying to fit in socially and many of his friends were

also using drugs. Alex was not involved in school activities,

no matter how many times his family encouraged him.

When his addiction progressed, Alex was admitted to the

University of California, Irvine as well as Loma Linda

Medical Center psychiatric hospital. Upon release, he

attended a local treatment program and was expected to return

to high school after 30 days. His family sought help from

many medical professionals and was diagnosed with depression

and bipolar disorder. When nothing seemed to be helping, Alex

was sent to Heritage Residential Treatment Center in Provo,

Utah, where he spent 8 months in a dual diagnosis treatment

center. He came home and graduated high school but within a

few months he was hanging out with old friends and local's

he'd met in treatment. In December 2011, at the age of 18,

Alex was arrested and charged with a felony for receiving

stolen property with the intent to sell. He was sent to jail

for 7 months.

Alex followed the path of many before him; he was stealing

for drug money--opioids. He ended up with 3 years' probation

with the stipulation that if he completed all that was

required, the felony would be removed from his record. These

tough learning experiences made him realize that he never

wanted to go back to jail. He wanted his freedom--he wanted

his life back.

On July 5, 2012, Alex was released from jail at 3 a.m.

(without guidance or supervision--something his family will

never understand). Although he was overwhelmed by the court

fees and classes he had to take, Alex was determined to

succeed. Once again he was a joy to be around and his family

believed that the worst was over. He started an electrician

training program at Long Beach City College and never missed

a day the entire semester.

On Tuesday, February 5, 2013, two young adults came to the

house; his family believes Alex may have met these

``friends'' at his court ordered drug classes. They also

believed Alex purchased heroin that day, from these

``friends''. Alex returned home from meeting with his

probation officer around 7:30 p.m., had some soup, watched

the Lakers game with his dad, said ``Goodnight, I love you,''

and then went to his room. At approximately 5:30 a.m. on

February 6, 2013, his father found Alex dead in his room. The

corner report stated he had died around midnight.

``I'm sure this story is all too similar to many you've

heard or read before from other families who have been

through this nightmare,'' writes Alex's mother. ``These past

4\1/2\ years have been the most difficult of our lives.''

``One of the most frustrating parts of this journey, was

how hard it was to get good help for Alex. I prayed each and

every day for God to shine his light upon my son; to bring

the right people into his life. He needed someone other than

his parents to help him but this did not happen.''

``As you can imagine, writing this is very difficult, but

we must not stay silent. We must speak out in order to make

the changes that are needed both for mental health and

addiction treatment in this country.''

Sean McLarty--Austell, Georgia

Sean McLarty was born on July 11, 1980, in Lithia Springs,

Georgia. Growing up, he was a very happy and loving child and

he carried those qualities into adulthood. Sean was always an

absolute joy to be around. He had a knack for making people

smile; the room would light up whenever he entered. He had

two children, Caleb and Mina, who were the loves of his life.

Sean always had an aspiration for acting and went on to be

featured in several films and TV shows. He had a small role

in one of Tyler Perry's House of Payne episodes; played a

mute crook in a movie called Three Rookies; was in the

youtube series Fighting Angels; and had roles in various

short films. Sean was also exceptional at repairing computers

and electronics--if it was broken, he could fix it.

Prior to his unexpected death, Sean wanted to start an

organization that he would name ``Families Against Drugs,''

to help families affected by addiction, and let them know

they are not alone in this fight. He had a huge vision for

this organization. However, Sean could not seem to help

himself.

On March 28, 2011, Sean was found dead in a motel room just

south of Atlanta, Georgia. The autopsy report determined the

cause of death to be from the toxic effects of

Methamphetamine. However, even the police officer in charge

of his case, didn't believe there was enough meth in Sean's

system to cause death.

After speaking to someone close to him, Sean's family found

out that he had been in possession of a drug called 1,4-

Butanediol, which is comparable to the drug ``gamma-

Hydroxybutyric acid'' (GHB); and acts as a stimulant and

aphrodisiac, enhancing euphoria. This drug is what is

believed to have killed Sean. 1,4-Butanediol is odorless,

colorless, and extremely difficult to detect in toxicology

screening.

Sean was never a regular drug user, he used more casually.

When Sean died from an overdose, it seemed unreal that it

would happen to someone like him, with so much potential and

life left to live.

Amber Mersing--Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

``Thinking about Amber's story and how to share it with

144aDay was difficult,'' writes Amber's Uncle Lou. ``I am

sure you all understand the emotions involved in putting this

together. As I thought, I recalled Amber's funeral service in

Pittsburgh, PA. Her grandfather and her cousin (my daughter)

both spoke wonderful words during the service and I felt this

would be the best way to share Amber's story.''

``Below is what my daughter Gianna (12 years old) wrote.

She stood and delivered this to everyone at Amber's funeral

service. Savannah (Gianna's sister/Amber's cousin) stood up

at the podium to read a scripture with her Aunt Nina (Amber's

Mom). I am so proud of all of them.''

Hello,

Amber was like a sister to me. We had so much fun together

from gymnastics competitions to dancing. I loved her so much.

I loved how we were close cousins. And I will always remember

all the fun we had. I am gonna miss her alot. I want for

everyone in this room to remember that she is looking down at

us. One more thing--in heaven she is with Blaze. She used to

dress up with him and get their picture taken.

Amber's grandfather delivered a beautiful eulogy after

Gianna spoke, here is what he said:

Where do I begin? I feel like a bird with a broken wing.

God only allowed us to have Amber for a short period of time

but during that time she touched many lives and left us with

a lot of memories. To me, she was both a child and a

grandchild; the two could never be separated. She brought the

joy of a grandchild and the anxiety of a child all at one

time. Amber came into my life as a toddler and those good

memories will remain with me forever.

I thank God for putting Amber in my life and I am thankful

that I got to see her grow from a helpless little girl into a

beautiful young lady. Amber was a big part of my life for the

last twenty plus years. I was blessed to have known her for

most of her time on Earth. I'm sure that Amber has left all

of you with a lot of good memories and I hope that you share

those memories with me and with each other some time.

Amber liked being the center of attention when she was in

her comfort zone, but would hide when that comfort zone began

to collapse. She dreamed of singing in front of a large

audience when it was just a couple of us. But when the couple

of us became a few of us, she would go into hibernation. She

was both shy and outgoing and could switch from one to the

other and back again in the blink of an eye.

Her creativity was endless. She and Grandma could turn

scraps of anything into works of art. Amber had an interest

in everything from acrobatics to woodworking and all things

in between. Amber gave me those hand-made treasures with such

pride and I still have many of them.

Amber also had that gentle side. She seldom raised her

voice and was uncomfortable when others did so in anger. She

was a caretaker at heart, which showed when she worked at

Norbert's. Amber was the oldest of our grandkids, so she

loved playing with and helping her younger cousins. She

learned patience from her Grandma and passed some of that on

to me. I loved those hugs when we parted company.

Amber could light up any room she entered even as she

struggled with depression--she so wanted to be happy. She

handled the depression in the best way that she could. I

watched her go through those ups and downs so many times.

When she thought she had a plan to regain control of her

life, she would get slapped down again and would not be

capable of following through with her plan. After seeing

Amber's struggle, I thanked God that I have never personally

experienced

those ups and downs. I also thank God that it is not my place

to judge her if she felt that she was doing her best. Jesus

said, ``Judge not, and you will not be judged, condemn not,

and you will not be condemned, forgive, and you will be

forgiven.'' (Luke 6:37) Because one's behavior toward others

often ends up being paid back in kind--and sometimes even to

a greater degree--Jesus continued to urge His disciples to be

tolerant. In particular, Jesus prohibits condemning others

and commends forgiveness.

I remember Amber as that little girl who would run and jump

on my lap in happiness and run to me when she was afraid.

There were the play-in-the-dirt clothes and pretty girl

dresses; dance lessons, softball games, and taekwondo;

pierced ears, nose, lip, etc; curly hair, braided hair, and

straight hair; tennis shoes and high heels; Disney movies and

The Nightmare Before Christmas; school and church; and so on

and so on and so on. Pick any of them or add your own. Some

of them I didn't like at the time but I'm going to miss every

single one. I have a lot of memories and no one can take them

away. Amber has been immortalized in my heart and those

memories will remain. I'm sure all of you have fond memories

of Amber that you will hold on to.

Amber believed in God and I believe that Jesus has welcomed

her into Heaven where she will spend eternity. Amber no

longer has to deal with the pain associated with mortality. I

have faith that I will see her again and that she will be

there to welcome me into eternity. I will miss her dearly but

I can now think of her as an angel that is looking over me

and she will look out for me when I need help. I love you

Amber and I always will.

Trenton Munn--Ionia, Michigan

Trenton Munn, died August 21, 2016, from an accidental

heroin overdose. He was 31 years old.

Trenton suffered from drug addiction since his late teen

years. He fast became addicted to Oxycontin, and when that

became hard to come by, he turned to heroin. It was a

cheaper, easier to find alternative.

When his son, Harley was born in May 2012, Trenton tried to

quit cold turkey. He wanted to get clean for his son. Trenton

also suffered from anxiety and depression. During the past

four years Trenton tried repeatedly to get off heroin.

This past March his family discovered that Trenton had

advanced to shooting up heroin. Even though he had said he

would not stick a needle in his veins.

After many failed attempts in treatment, with everyone

telling us we had to do tough love, we decided to remove

Trenton from our home. It broke his familys hearts having to

put their child out on the streets.

Trenton was then taken in by a friend. The friend promised

he didn't condone heroin and there'd be none of it in his

home.

Throughout this past summer, Trenton would come to his

family's home for his parental visits with his son. Since his

son's mother had gotten in trouble with the law, Trenton was

given full custody of Harley. Trenton also had just began a

new job, was looking healthier and had gained some weight.

His family thought he was kicking his addiction. Things were

looking up.

Due to Trenton not having a car, his parents were driving

him to and from work. The last day they saw their son was

Saturday, August 20, 2016. They picked him up from work at

4:00 p.m., as usual. Nothing really seemed out of the

ordinary, other than Trenton not asking what his mother was

making for supper. He normally would come have dinner with

his family.

When his parents arrived at the friend's house where

Trenton was living, he told them he'd see them in the morning

and that he loved them. He didn't text or call them that

evening.

The dreaded call came at 4:21 a.m. from the friend Trenton

was living with. The friend began with: ``I think you need to

come out here!'' Trenton's mother asked him what was wrong

and he replied, ``I think Trent's overdosing!'' His mother

hung up the phone immediately, jumped out of bed screaming.

They got into their car and drove as fast as they could.

They arrived at the friend's home in a matter of minutes.

The police and the ambulance were already there. They were

met by an officer on the porch of the house. It was too late.

Trenton was dead.

The authorities believe Trenton received what they call a

``hot load'': heroin laced with fentanyl.

That same weekend, over 75 overdoses were reported in Ohio.

The heroin was laced with elephant tranquilizers.

``This has been the worse pain we ever felt,'' writes

Trenton's mother. ``Nothing or no one can ever bring our son

back. Our grandson is going to grow up without his father.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record the personal stories of families from across the country that have been impacted 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 change in Washington and I am proud to preserve their stories.

Victor Benjamin Surma--Bridgeville, Pennsylvania

Victor Benjamin Surma was born July 20, 1983. He died on

January 26, 2014 from a heroin overdose. Victor was an

excellent athlete. At the age of 15 he fractured his spine

playing football. The orthopedic surgeon prescribed

oxycodone. Prior to being prescribed a narcotic, Victor did

not drink or use drugs. Victor was a fly fisherman,

outdoorsman, excellent mogul skier. He was a good student and

he had a bright future. Victor played football at a Division

I college. His third year, he quit the team.

Victor struggled with substance abuse. His parents were

unaware that prescription drugs would be highly addictive

because of the history of drug and alcohol abuse in both of

their families. Education and prevention, especially for

families with genetic predisposition to abuse is essential

knowledge, beginning at the earliest age for children.

Victor had a dual major in college in business and

communications. He was a successful campaign model during and

after college, and an orthopedic sales representative for

Smith and Nephew. Victor was awarded ``Rookie'' of the year

in sales nationwide. To maintain his ability to work, Victor

would drive an hour after a 10 hour day of working in the

hospital to find a doctor who would give him suboxone. The

effort to obtain suboxone daily exhausted Victor physically

and mentally. He could only work with the daily dose of

suboxone, but could not function without having a doctor

closer to his home. No one could.

Victor could not stop using prescription drugs. He fought

like a soldier to stop the urges to use drugs. Victor also

was uninformed in thinking he was weak and was shamed because

of his drug habit.

Victor went to Caron Rehab, Gateway Rehab, Wonderland

Rehab, two rehab facilities in Florida, Mountainside Rehab,

and the last rehab was associated with Harvard Medical

Center. Admittance to emergency room care when he voluntarily

required life saving intervention was denied. His parents

accompanied Victor to Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania. The blood test indicated so many drugs in

Victor's system that he qualified for admittance. However,

there were not enough beds. They left not knowing what to do

and Victor continued using.

Victor got two DUI's and lost his license for two years

within a week of being denied admittance to Mercy Hospital.

He lost his lucrative job, all his accumulated money in bank

accounts, his two cars, and became so desperate and ashamed

he went into a downward spiral. Isolation from friends,

family, and society was heart-wrenching.

Once his source of income was depleted, Victor started

using heroin. At this point he qualified for methadone. His

parents would drive Victor to the methadone clinic, and it

was at the clinic where he made the acquaintance of a drug

dealer. Victor was aware of the seriousness of drug dealing

and would not participate. However, Victor had fallen so low

that his parents paid a huge amount of money for him to go to

a Harvard affiliated drug program.

Victor was clean for 6 months prior to his overdose. He

humbled himself to work in retail, walk to work, and his

parents were his only social life. At the Harvard affiliated

rehab, Victor obtained a sponsor and the doctor advised

Victor's parents to support his move to an apartment in New

York City.

When Victor died, he was alone. The autopsy indicated a

small amount of heroin and cocaine, but because he had not

been using for 6 months it hit him like a freight train. The

NYPD discovered his sponsor was a drug dealer from Long

Island, NY. The phone records indicate the sponsor called

Victor at 3 a.m. the morning of his overdose.

After his death, the community did not know what to say to

his family. It was horrible for them not to have support even

in light of Victor's death. Addiction was perceived as a

weakness, poor parenting, not as a disease.

Victor's parents hope is to give support to other parents

and families who are isolated and have a loved one suffering

from substance abuse disorder. Insurance companies must step

up and cover treatment. Treatment needs to be more than 28

days. If Victor's parents had known that he may have had a

chance to live with this disease with the help of extended

rehab, they would have done anything possible to facilitate

Victor's recovery. His family looks at Victor's death as a

wasted, tragic loss of a loving, intelligent, compassionate,

and vital person for this world.

Victor's family misses him every second of every day.

Losing a child to drug overdose is another stab in their

hearts as support and compassion recognizing addiction as a

disease is nil. Only through legislation, education and

insurance participation can we as a society stop this fatal

disease.

Kelsey Suzanne Vaudreuil--Wellington, Florida

Kelsey Suzanne was born August 25, 1991, in West Palm

Beach, Florida, but lived most of her life in her hometown of

Wellington. Growing up, Kelsey was a sweet, soft spoken child

who made friends easily. She had two brothers, Korey and

Austin, whom she loved with all of her heart. In Kelsey's

pre-teen years she loved the baton and was very involved with

a discipleship group from church, which strengthened her

faith and wisdom in God.

At age 16, Kelsey began working at a small town movie

theatre in Wellington--sadly, that is where her opiate use

began. From there on, Kelsey then graduated from smoking

opiates to using heroin. For seven years, off and on, Kelsey

was in and out of detox clinics, treatment centers,

residential facilities, hospitals, and halfway houses.

Kelsey's mother was her biggest cheerleader; she loved,

encouraged, and begged her to stop using and to try again. No

matter how Kelsey felt her mother kept pushing her with God's

love and her own.

There was probably around seven or eight times her mother

allowed Kelsey to live at home, but only if she promised

she'd stay clean and not use. This privilege would end if she

used drugs. Sadly, after a short stint at home, Kelsey

started using again. Her mother unfortunately had to ask her

to leave--how that killed her to have her child leave without

knowing where or who she would go to but the boundaries had

to be put in place.

Kelsey had lost her father in March of 2011, which broke

both her and her brothers' hearts. Kelsey's mother believe

this intensified her drug use. Even though Kelsey said she

was okay, she always had that big beautiful smile of hers

that covered so much pain. Kelsey also miscarried her son,

Mason, at four months along. This was devastating for her;

the shame and guilt she carried was overwhelming.

In 2012, Kelsey was almost a year sober and living in an

all-girls halfway house. There she built strong sober

relationships and learned to manage her life and her

addictions. She was working a full time job at a cafe, which

she really enjoyed and the customers loved her. Her mother

was so very proud and happy for her. Kelsey later left the

halfway house and moved into an apartment with a friend, only

to end three short months later after relapsing.

On December 17, 2014, at 6:10 a.m., Kelsey's mother

received a knock on my door from a policeman, who handed her

a small piece of paper and told her to call the Lantana

Police Department. She truly thought to herself, ``Oh, Kelsey

must have gotten into trouble.'' The detective on the other

end of the phone said, ``Ma'am I'm sorry to tell you your

daughter, Kelsey Suzanne Vaudreuil is deceased.'' Kelsey

passed away in a motel room--how that broke her mother's

heart. She'll never know what truly happened that night, but

the autopsy report said it was a multiple intoxication,

accidental overdose. Kelsey's little frame just couldn't

handle anymore poison but in God's great Mercy, he took her

home at 2:50 a.m. in that small motel room.

``Drug use has plagued my family for years,'' writes

Kelsey's mother. ``Kelsey's passing has changed mine, my

family's, and friend's lives forever. It's a loss that I can

never truly find the right words to express other than to say

it's a void in my heart that cannot be filled.''

``Addiction is a horrible disease and drugs don't care

anything about you. If you are in active drug use, please

reach out! Don't isolate yourself; there's no shame.

Remember, YOU ARE LOVED!''

Justin Wolfe--Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Justin was intelligent, kind, thoughtful, loving, caring

and loved life to the fullest. However, Justin's story is

similar to most who have an addiction, and that is he began

drinking at 15 and eventually moved on to other substances,

which was learned while he was in college. Justin in his

younger years played soccer, ice hockey, street hockey,

lacrosse and did karate. He attended Drexel and Syracuse

Universities, respectively, but mid-year was dismissed from

each due to aberrant behavior. Justin saw therapists as a

result of his aberrant behavior and drinking since he was 15

years old. However, they thought it was his anxiety, OCD and

behavior, not realizing he had a hidden addiction. His dream

was to complete college and become a successful businessman.

However, the punishments, reprimands and good parenting did

not halt Justin's behavior of what we later learned was a

deep seated addiction.

In April of 2012, Justin approached his mother and admitted

that he was addicted to Percocet and Oxycontin. She took him

to their family physician and during the appointment, Justin

asked the doctor not to tell me about his issues, claiming

that the news would ``kill me.'' The physician told his

mother to take Justin to a crisis center immediately for

treatment, but Justin convinced her, without the doctor's

knowledge, to take him to a suboxone doctor that he had found

instead.

Two months later his father was finally informed, against

Justin's wishes, about his addiction to Percocets. He

demanded that Justin go to an inpatient rehab but he said as

a 21 year old he could make his own decision; he didn't want

to go to an inpatient facility for fear of being exposed to

more dangerous drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine.

Unbeknownst to us, he had been using heroin for quite some

time at that point. Eventually, he agreed to participate in

an outpatient treatment program for the summer and began

weekly psychiatric visits.

While he was in the program Justin's father contacted the

intake director to inquire about his progress. He was

informed that they could not disclose any information under

HIPAA regulations. The following September Justin attended

Temple University as a sophomore and joined a wonderful

fraternity AEPI. He continued to see a psychiatrist and

things seemed to be going well, which made his passing on

December 19th, 2012, all the more shocking to his family.

Justin's father explained Justin's history of substance

abuse to the psychiatrist who tried to counsel him and

monitor his prescriptions for depression, anxiety, and OCD.

After Justin passed away his father learned that he hadn't

disclosed his heroin addiction--except to say that he had

tried it once.

Throughout Justin's time in college, he made friends who

had also been in and out rehab, including one boy who was

attending pharmacy school, a local judge's son who worked for

a Governor, and an attorney's son. These examples demonstrate

how addiction is indiscriminate--its devastation reaches all

ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds. When his family

found out that Justin had passed away from an overdose of

heroin, the entire family was shocked. Only upon further

investigation did his father learn that heroin is rampant in

our communities--killing our children and destroying the

lives of their families.

``We, as a society, need to advance education in schools at

every grade level regarding the dangers of abusing opiates

and the slim recovery rates of those who become addicted,''

writes Justin's father.

``It seems as though no one speaks about their family's

struggle with addiction due to embarrassment or shame.

However, within two months of my son's death, I spoke to well

over 25 parents who came forward with stories similar to

mine--several stints of rehab-- only to lose their child to

an overdose. Many families I have spoken to could no longer

afford the high costs of treatment; their insurance would

only cover a limited period of rehabilitation.''

Justin was not violent and would never intentionally hurt a

soul, but his addiction hurt and endangered the lives of

those close to him, including his younger brother. I thank

God that Justin never hurt anyone on the road. I have

pictures of his apartment that demonstrate how he was living

at college; there were cigarette burns on his bedding from

all of the times he nodded out.

No one could save Justin--not his family, friends, nor

Justin himself, but it is his father's hope that with much

needed change, Justin's tragedy and his advocacy can help to

save millions of young lives. Since Justin's passing, his

father has spoken to close to a thousand parents and children

regarding opiate and heroin abuse in order to bring

awareness, education and prevention amongst our communities.

If there is one pertinent fact that he can bring to the

forefront, that is for every parent to have a Power of

Attorney, a Medical Directive for their 18 year old so they

are made aware of their symptoms, medical condition and are

apprised of every step throughout their young adult's care.

Bradley Michael Zulick--Butler, Pennsylvania

Bradley Michael Zulick was born August 21, 1986, in Butler,

Pennsylvania. As a child, he always made his family laugh and

brought joy and laughter to everyone lucky enough to know

him. His friends and family describe him as funny,

thoughtful, and a polite young man. He was loving, kind-

hearted and was a spirit lifter, with a contagious

personality and smile. Brad was also a fantastic athlete, a

great friend, and everyone's best friend. He was truly one of

a kind. Brad loved everyone, and everyone loved him. His

family meant the world to him. Brad also enjoyed spending

time with his friends' children.

Throughout Brad's short life, one of his biggest interests

was sports--whether he was participating or simply watching,

he was always engaged. In high school, he excelled at

football, basketball, and track, and also enjoyed playing

golf. Even when he was older he still participated in small-

sided football games, church basketball leagues, dek hockey,

and baseball games. No one knew more about sports than Brad,

which helped him to become an outstanding sports trivia

player.

Every year Brad played in the Lyndora Turkey Bowl, a

neighborhood football game held on Thanksgiving Day, where

the younger guys played against the older generation. Brad

enjoyed these games so much. He also was a passionate

supporter of Pitt Panther football and regularly attended

games with his dad, sister, cousins, and friends. Pitt games

are precious memories of times spent with Brad.

Brad loved music; going to concerts with his close friends

was what he looked forward to more than anything. In school,

history was Brad's favorite subject. He studied history at

Indiana University of Pennsylvania and went on to receive his

associate's degree from Butler County Community College on

May 19, 2009. We were all so proud of him for this

accomplishment. It seemed Brad's life would be everything he

dreamed it could be. We all were so hopeful that he would

have a bright future.

However, around the time Brad graduated from college, he

became addicted to prescription pills. ``I knew there was a

problem,'' writes his mother. ``But because I was naive, I

didn't know exactly what was wrong. Brad was becoming moody

and depressed--the total opposite of the laid-back young man

he always was in the past.''

In January of 2014, Brad admitted his addiction to

prescription pills and asked for help. It was believed he was

using heroin at that time, but he didn't admit it. His

mother's heart broke as she watched Brad sobbing because of

the shame and guilt he felt from his addiction. He told her

he was lost. His family tried so hard to help him. Brad went

into treatment three times. He always believed he could

overcome his struggles with addiction but his mother never

truly understood how hard it really was for him.

The saddest day of her life was March 17, 2016--the day

Brad lost his battle with addiction. He passed away from an

overdose of heroin laced with Fentanyl. Brad's parents lost

their baby, their only son that day. Their daughter, Kelly,

lost her only sibling and best friend. They all are

struggling with the grief of such a huge loss.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include in the Record the personal stories of families from across the country that have been impacted 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 change in Washington and I am proud to preserve their stories.

JC Conners--Milwaukee, Wisconsin

JC Conners came to his mother over five years ago worrying

and wanting to get off of drugs. Unfortunately--by that

time--he had little control over his addiction; his brain was

shutting down and we didn't understand. On August 13, 2016 JC

succumbed to the disease of addiction; he overdosed and died.

He was 38 years old!

How does a hard-working, healthy man become severely

addicted to drugs? It shocked us all. Some time ago, JC was

introduced to oxycodone, a simple pill, that a friend told

him would help with stress and make him

``feel good''--adding that the best part was that it wasn't

easily detected and didn't get you in trouble like alcohol.

Unaware, JC took the pill, not realizing the downfall that

was about to happen.

JC wasn't your stereotypical addicted individual. He was

high-functioning, worked hard at his job, and spent time with

his family. He fooled them all by managing his everyday life

so well. But slowly over time he started to deteriorate. JC

eventually shared with his mother what he came to realize

later: ``This so called `medicine' shouldn't be on the

market. It's misused. I'm really sick. Something's wrong. My

minds off.''

After realizing this JC tried hard to stop but couldn't,

with each attempted he was further consumed by his addiction.

His family tried seeing doctors, therapists, etc., but they

all seemed detached. JC was only a number in a long line of

individuals also struggling with an addiction. We tried

outpatient therapy but that didn't work either.

At another program, his family learned how this particular

drug stops your brain from producing the ``right'' chemicals

to function and if this continues part of your mind goes

missing. We also learned that it can take years for the brain

to recover and start producing these much needed chemicals

again for health brain functioning. Meanwhile, the individual

just wants to feel ``okay'' and as hard as they try the only

way to function ``okay'' is going back on the drug.

JC overdosed Thanksgiving 2015 and survived. He overdosed

for a second time this past June, again, he survived. He then

spent five days in the hospital with complications related to

this overdose. The day JC was released, neither the doctors

nor the staff learned or inquired about his past history with

addiction, they only sent him home with the suggestion he see

a therapist. So, his family trusted the professionals. Two

months later, JC was gone. He had fallen through the cracks

and we didn't understand fully the depth of his struggles

until it was too late.

My daughter asked me to write this so JC's story would be

heard and to relate this message to everyone: we need to be

aware and come to terms with the realization of what these

drugs do to the human brain, yet these drugs are out there

and way too easy to come by. Why is this happening? We need

to sympathize, understand and help those struggling with

addiction, not stigmatize them. JC was told by many

professionals that, ``he had to want help and had to want to

help himself.'' The outside help he did try failed him, so he

thought he was better off overcoming his struggles on his

own. We, his family didn't understand the severity of his

addiction, so we let him try. We came to realize this was a

terrible mistake! Professionals need to make it VERY clear to

both the individual and their families that overcoming

addiction can't be easily done on their own. Additionally,

they need to better help us, the families, understand that

our loved ones might not be thinking rationally due to the

addiction compromising healthy brain functioning.

Yes, JC chose to use, but had little knowledge of the

effects these drugs have on the brain because they aren't

being properly explained to the public. His last years were a

hard existence and he paid the ultimate price, but my son was

so much more than his addiction. He was a kind, sincere,

caring person, who would do anything for anyone. A kid at

heart, JC believed there was good in everyone and truly

wanted to turn his life around. He was a great man who was

loved by so many, who just made a terrible mistake, but so

did the medical system.

Anthony Fiore--Warrington, Pennsylvania

Growing up, Anthony tried to fit in with the ``good kids,''

but was shunned on many occasions. He then began to change to

fit into a group that would accept him. This group of friends

started smoking pot in 8th grade, and transitioned to

Oxycontin by 12th grade. Anthony always wanted to have

friends and was very loyal to them.

Anthony was very intelligent--he never had to study but

always had above a 3.5 GPA. He enjoyed making people laugh,

and would joked around a lot. He got accepted into Penn

State's Main Campus in State College, PA, based on his SAT

scores and his GPA. In his sophomore year he joined a

fraternity.

During Christmas break in 2009, Anthony told his family he

was addicted to Oxycontin. He said he could detox at home,

and would take some time off before returning to college.

This was the first time his parents heard anything about

this.

In January 2010, Anthony returned to school and started

using again. When he came home at the end of the semester,

his family sent him to a relative's house for the summer--far

away from anything that we thought could trigger his

addition. The entire summer they kept in touch with Anthony;

he was passing drug tests, and everything seemed to be going

well. Anthony wanted to go back and finish college, so his

family let him return that fall.

It was not until early 2011, that Anthony's family found

out he was using again. They then pulled him out of school on

medical leave, but this time he went to a 28 day inpatient

treatment center. When he returned, everything seemed fine.

Anthony had a friend pick him up to go to Narcotics Anonymous

meetings and he would show his family the various chips he

received for being clean for a certain amount of time. It

appeared that he was clean and again, his family allowed him

to return to Penn State.

At some point, Anthony switched to heroin because it was

significantly cheaper. Two of his best friends, one day, came

to Anthony's parents house and told them Anthony was

injecting heroin. Because of their courage, his family had

more time with Anthony. Anthony was then referred to an

inpatient rehab facility in Pennsylvania. At the time his

family didn't have insurance, so they only kept Anthony for

about five days; just long enough to detox. While there,

Anthony was diagnosed with depression but his family were

never informed of this diagnosis. That summer Anthony stayed

home, worked, and seemed to be doing fine. His family refused

to let him go back to Penn State's main campus; so Anthony

enrolled at the Abington campus, which was about 30 minutes

from our home.

What his family later came to find out was that Anthony

made a copy of his dad's car key and was sneaking out in the

middle of the night to get heroin. At some point he added

cocaine to the mix. On May 23, 2013, Anthony overdosed in his

parent's basement. One of the boys he was with came and got

his mother, and she called 911. Anthony was given Naloxone,

which saved his life.

In the emergency room the nurses tried to give him another

Naloxone shot, but Anthony wouldn't allow it--he wanted to

enjoy what was left of his high. This shows how powerful of a

hold heroin has on its victims; less than an hour earlier

Anthony had almost died but he still wanted the drug. Because

his heroin usage depressed his breathing so much, fluid built

up in his lungs, and Anthony developed pneumonia.

Anthony then tried Vivitrol, another relapse prevention

medication; this was given as a shot every 28 days by a

doctor. When Anthony started receiving his shots, it worked.

Then one day, Anthony told his family he wasn't going to get

the shot anymore. They did everything we could to convince

him and in the end they told Anthony he could no longer live

them if he wasn't going to get the shot.

In the summer of 2013, Anthony and some other boys robbed a

drug dealer, thinking that a drug dealer wouldn't go to the

police. A warrant was issued. Months later, Anthony was

stopped for possession of heroin, and when police found out

about the warrant for the robbery, he was sent to prison. His

family refused to bail him out, despite Anthony's constant

pleas. They felt, at the time, prison was where he needed to

be; at least we knew he would be safe and clean.

After about a month in prison, a private criminal defense

attorney was hired; who was able to arrange Anthony's release

on his own recognizance, on the condition that he immediately

enter an inpatient rehab facility. By this time, we had

insurance but the program only guaranteed 21 days. His family

begged them to keep him longer, but they said that's all our

insurance would cover.

When Anthony was released, he truly wanted to stay clean.

He started cooking dinner for the family and hanging out with

his younger brother, which he never did before. ``It was

great to see my two boys together,'' writes Anthony's mother.

``They went to movies, to the gym, and did various things

brothers do together. I finally had my Anthony back and we

felt like he had won. He looked good, acted fine, and was not

argumentative and agitated as he was when using. Anthony was

doing well and saving to move out on his own.''

While Anthony was living with his family, they told him

none of the boys he previously hung around with could come

over again and he should find new friends. This lasted about

four or five months, and one day he told us one of his old

friends was coming over. Anthony said he was the only other

person he knew who was also clean; but in reality, this

friend was not clean and was still using. This friend was

with Anthony the entire night and morning when he died. He

said he didn't have any idea what happened, however, he did

find time to steal Anthony's debit/credit card from his body,

and proceed to spend $2,500.00.

``I found my son's body,'' writes his mother. ``What an

awful thing for a mother to go through. We are broken.

Anthony is not defined by his addiction. He was a loving and

caring son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin. He was

very intelligent, kind, thoughtful, and funny. He was a hard-

working young man with a bright future.''

Megan Rose Kelley--Appleton, Wisconsin

Megan Rose Kelly, forever 22, was the youngest of four

siblings. From a young age, Megan was helpful and always nice

to people--she was a joy to be around. Growing up, Megan was

involved in soccer and Girl Scouts. She was well-liked by

everyone who met her.

Megan, who was a kind and beautiful girl, had a lot of

insecurities. In the eighth grade, to better fit in with her

peers, Megan started hanging around with people who were

drinking to have fun. As things progressively got out of

hand, Megan's mother turned to a social worker for help.

Megan was put in counseling and an outpatient drug treatment.

At 14, Megan met a guy who was seven months younger and had

been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Through this

destructive relationship, Megan turned to shoplifting and

began experimenting with more drugs. By sophomore year of

high school, Megan started skipping school, which resulted in

truancy charges.

Throughout high school, Megan got into enough trouble where

she had to serve time in jail and was court ordered to be on

probation for three years. After two years, her probation

officer decided to take her off of probation. Things then

started to settle down for Megan, until the summer of 2013,

when her mother was told that Megan was addicted to

prescription painkillers. She confronted Megan, but denied

it. Later that summer, Megan and her boyfriend of four years

got into huge argument and broke up. Soon afterwards, she

started seeing another guy.

Megan's mother spoke with Megan multiple times about her

addiction, and each time she blew her off. On November 2,

2013, her mother spent the entire day with Megan and her new

boyfriend cleaning her house. Around 4:30 PM Megan and her

mother both left; Megan went to work and her mother drove

home.

Around 10:10 PM that night, Megan's mother received a phone

call from her sister telling her that Megan's boyfriend was

dead. It was found out that Megan's boyfriend had been

snorting Percocet throughout the day, and died as a result.

Shortly afterwards, two of his friends showed Megan how to

inject heroin. By March 2014, Megan came to her mother and

asked her for help, sending Megan to a rapid detox facility

in Detroit. Megan's mother was reluctant to spend the $7,800,

but Megan begged and said it was a matter of life or death.

After Megan completed detox, she got so sick she ended up

having to go to the hospital and was hooked up to an IV. She

was diagnosed with pancreatitis, caused by heroin use. This

was when her mother first found out Megan was using heroin,

and the nightmare had only just begun.

Three days later, after being discharged from the hospital,

Megan was arrested and charged with four felony counts

involving heroin. The next day at court, Megan's mother paid

$10,000 to bail Megan out.

Over the next five months, Megan's mother thought she was

doing great; Megan was passing all of her drug tests. One

night, Megan was stopped by the police because her car

windows were too darkly tinted, and was rearrested when they

found syringes on her.

Megan spent four months in jail before she was sentenced.

During her sentencing, the judge said that heroin was a

powerful drug, only to deny Megan a nine-month court-ordered

inpatient treatment program for a drug that kills. Four

months into her sentence, Megan relapsed, overdosed, and

died. ``My life forever changed that day,'' writes Megan's

mother. ``Her sentence became a death penalty.''

Kirstyn King--Richmond, Virginia

Kirstyn King was born in the early afternoon on December 8,

1990. She was a perfect baby and everything her family had

hoped for in an infant daughter. The first time they saw her

tiny, sweet face, they were overwhelmed with love, hope and

emotions they had never experienced before. Her mother saw

her own future and past in Kirstyn's eyes and cried with joy,

she knew she'd do everything to protect her child and new

family.

As the years went by, Kirstyn's mother worked hard and

elevated their financial status to a six-figure income. A lot

happens over the passage of time and in that particular

period there were mostly beautiful memories, but,

unfortunately, there were also agonizing ones that still

haunt her today. Despite her every attempt to shield her

family from life's worst, Kirstyn was harmed and sexually

exploited when she was a young teenager. This started a slow

avalanche as she rebelled and struggled. Her mother tried to

help her but she felt so powerless. Kirstyn's despair was

evident and her mothers attempts to make it all go away were

futile.

``Around this time, I injured my back falling down the

stairs,'' writes Kirstyn's mother. ``The physical pain was

unlike anything I had ever experienced. This led to a

prescription pill addiction that bottomed out in a horrible

way. After layoff and foreclosure, I began writing my own

prescriptions to support my escalating habit. I ended up in

jail. I had never been in trouble in my life and suddenly I

was a felon, effectively homeless and jobless, after being a

homeowner twice over with a promising career.''

``My children never used drugs more than the occasional

sampling. Kirstyn suffered from anxiety and once I went to

jail, the mom that had always saved the day was powerless to

help her. Her fiance transferred with a government contractor

to England and her brother, nearly 18, moved with his father

to California. She felt alone and began heavily and

carelessly self-medicating.''

Kirstyn was shy, gentle and gorgeous. She adored animals

and wanted to save all of them. She would find the least

attractive, the most broken of the bunch, and that would be

the cat or dog she wanted to take home. From tadpoles to

earthworms, there wasn't a creature that she was afraid of

and didn't love. She had an infectious belly laugh and always

saw the best in others. She complemented other girls and gave

the most she could of her wonderful soul. She was the life of

the party and a risk-taker with a childlike spirit. Her light

wasn't reciprocated. In fact, it was abused. On October 16,

2011, Kirstyn lost her life to her brief addiction. I was in

jail and could do nothing. All I can tell you is that it is a

grief I'll never be able to fully comprehend or articulate.

``As a recovered addict and grieving mother of a 20 year

old who lost her promising life to addiction, I know we must

do more,'' writes Kirstyn's mother. ``Those in recovery who

are able to speak must be heard and represented in this fight

to find solutions for this crippling American epidemic. We

can't continue to villainize and hunt for the dealer or

``that bad kid'' that influenced our child. We need to dig

deep, open our eyes and ask, why does America hurt? We are a

nation in crisis.''

Matt Klosowski--Bear, Delaware

Have you ever met a guy whose smile could light up a room?

Who made you feel like you had found a long lost friend? The

kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back? That

guy who brings every stray dog home and makes it a member of

the family? That was Matt Klosowski. He had that happy-go-

lucky personality that drew people in and made them fall in

love. Unfortunately for Matt, he never loved himself enough.

He experimented with marijuana in high school and after

graduating to pills, ended up in his first 30 days inpatient

treatment facility.

Matt went on the become an excellent mechanic. He moved to

the beach, bought a home and opened his own business. His

adult life appeared successful and drug-free. Matt's family

took a deep breath and started to relax, only to discover

soon after that Matt was hiding his addiction. At first it

was just casual use--a Saturday night party or coming down

from a busy week of work. But he was slipping back into the

deadly mindset that made him believe he was in control.

The beginning of the end began when Matt suffered a back

injury--he had been lifting an engine when he felt a pop. The

next day he could barely walk. Matt called his mother to let

her know that the doctor gave him Percocet. Matt struggled

with an addiction to Percocet for seven years. During that

time he lost everything he had worked so hard to gain. He

tried to continue working on cars while he was abusing pills,

but it was obvious to his steady customers that something was

terribly wrong and they took their business elsewhere. His

business closed six months after his injury. After missing

too many mortgage payments his beach house was repossessed by

the bank. Everything he loved now gone.

During those seven years Matt was in and out of treatment.

Due to his insurance, however, Matt was never permitted to

stay for the length of time he needed to learn how to handle

life without pills. He would come home clean and his family

would look into his clear eyes and thank God that Matt was

back. He was such a joy to be around. He didn't want to be

tortured by cravings. Our life would start to feel normal

again but his family's joy was short-lived when, within a

matter of weeks, Matt returned to his world of numbness and

the cycle began again.

Matt's last attempt to get clean took place at a treatment

center close to home. As his mother watched Matt struggle

with demons that had plagued him for most of his adult life,

she was proud and hopeful. Matt was coming back. Each time

she visited she was greeted by his clear eyes and beautiful

smile. She remembers sitting together looking out over the

water. Matt was headed to a recovery home in Florida. She was

unsure about his decision but remembered every book she read

always talked about how different people, places and things

are the best choice to support new sobriety. When Matt left

for Florida on June 2, 2014, he wrapped her up in a big bear

hug and told her he was so happy to have the monkey off his

back. Little did she know that monkey would find him in

Florida.

Matt was starting a new life and Once again he was living

by the sea--his happy place. He found a job, his self esteem

returned, and his mother believe that this was his ``ah-ha''

moment, that finally he was in a good place.

For reasons her heart will never understand, Matt relapsed

and died. He lost his battle on January 3rd, 2015.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Change Direction New Hampshire, a first-of-its-kind statewide campaign to raise awareness of the five signs of mental illness and emotional suffering.

Since its first launch last May, Change Direction has touched the lives of thousands of Granite Staters, helping to change the culture and erase the stigma surrounding mental illness in New Hampshire and across the country.

Campaign co-chairs, my dear friends, the Honorable John Broderick, Peter Evers, and Dr. Bill Gunn, have dedicated countless hours to help spread this campaign through schools, workplaces, and institutions throughout the Granite State. They have met with thousands of stakeholders and community members, holding more than 100 public presentations. They have distributed nearly 320,000 informational posters and cards, and they have placed a billboard on one of our busiest highways.

The goal of Change Direction is to make the five signs of mental illness--personality change, agitation, withdrawal, poor self-care, and hopelessness--as well-known indicators as the indicators of a heart attack. This increased recognition will help improve treatment of mental illness, address substance misuse, and help prevent suicide among our friends and neighbors.

But the impact of this campaign goes far beyond the five signs. Please join me in recognizing John, Peter, Bill, and all of those who support the Change Direction campaign.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the New England Patriots on reaching their NFL record ninth Super Bowl. The very questionable suspension of Tom Brady early in the season could not stop New England or the determination and dedication to excellence that defines the New England Patriots.

Fans throughout New Hampshire and beyond are incredibly proud of their team and the unparalleled success of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. But they would be the first to tell you that the success of the Patriots lies with not one individual but instead is built upon the core value of team before self. This year, the motto made famous by New England, ``Do Your Job,'' is as true as ever.

When the Patriots face the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, I will be joined by everyone across New Hampshire and throughout New England in offering them good luck. Go Pats.

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply concerned about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and what it would mean for Americans struggling with debilitating diseases.

Prior to the ACA, the struggle of a debilitating illness like Alzheimer's or cancer could be compounded because of the financial burden from lack of affordable health care. Imagine being denied necessary health care because you or a loved one suffered from a preexisting condition. These are the concerns that I am hearing from constituents across the Granite State.

Take Sally from West Chesterfield. Her daughter has Crohn's disease, and she is on their family plan because she is under age 26. She will always need access to health care because of her condition, and if the Affordable Care Act is repealed and not replaced, she could lose coverage because of her preexisting condition. These concerns are all too commonplace.

I agree the ACA is not perfect, and I am committed to working in a bipartisan way to ensure the law will work

for all Americans. But in the meantime, the ACA is helping 22 million Americans, including 1 in every 10 Granite Staters. We should build on those successes.

I urge my colleagues on the Republican side to resist the temptation to repeal the law, especially without a plan that ensures affordable coverage for all Americans.

``The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.''

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Alex Ray, a Granite Stater who has made significant contributions to our State's identity and our economy.

When you ask most people in New Hampshire what restaurant captures the essence of our State, they will say the Common Man. Alex built the Common Man family of restaurants from the ground up, expanding from one location in Ashland, New Hampshire, in 1971 to 16 eateries around the State. He has also given back a great deal to communities across New Hampshire and has been involved with a wide array of philanthropic endeavors over the years.

Alex's motto for the Common Man family is simply, ``Do Good,'' which he seeks to instill in his staff and live by in his own life.

He is currently in the process of completing two beautiful new rest areas off Interstate 93. These new facilities are great examples of the public-private partnerships that have been so successful in New Hampshire.

Alex's creative and community-oriented approach to both business and philanthropy has had an incredibly positive impact over the last four decades.

I am honored to count Alex as a good friend, and I would like to express my appreciation for all his wonderful work on behalf of the citizens of New Hampshire.

Mr. Speaker, today, I am proud to again partner with my colleague Jackie Walorski from Indiana to reintroduce legislation to extend veterans' travel benefits to veterans who are traveling to seek treatment for injuries resulting from sexual trauma in the military.

It is an honor to serve with Mrs. Walorski on the Veterans' Affairs Committee--one of the most bipartisan committees in the House--and it is a privilege to work with all of our colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, in service to our Nation's veterans. We must ensure that victims can access the high-quality care that every veteran is guaranteed when he or she joins the military.

The occurrence of sexual trauma in the military is outrageous enough, but it is something our brave servicemen and -women should never be forced to experience. What is even worse is that many survivors of military sexual trauma have trouble accessing the physical and mental health services they need when they return home because the VA does not provide travel benefits to all victims of MST.

This legislation is a great first step in further protecting the thousands of servicemen and -women who are survivors of military sexual violence. I urge its swift passage.

Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor the lives of Ronnie Berlack and Bryce Astle, two members of the United States Ski Team who were taken from us far too soon by a tragic avalanche while training in Austria in early January.

These two young men dedicated themselves to representing our country with skill and dignity as members of the national ski team. They were both very talented. But, sadly, we will never know how high their stars may have risen.

Ronnie and Bryce touched many others with their love of life, their drive to compete, and their commitment to their teammates. Ronnie was a native of Franconia, New Hampshire, the same town that produced skiing great Bode Miller. He started skiing at Cannon Mountain before attending Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont and coming into his own as a talented ski racer. Bryce spent most of his childhood in Utah, where he spent weekends skiing with his family at Alta and Snowbird. They first met while competing against each other in FIS races, before training together last summer and becoming great friends.

In the wake of this horrible tragedy, everyone who knew these two young men has spoken to their integrity, their adventurous spirits, and their big, big hearts. They spent their lives working hard at the thing they loved the most. My heart goes out to their family, their many, many friends, and the entire ski racing community.

Thank you, Judge Poe, and to my dear colleague, Ann Wagner, and to all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for tackling this issue.

I am proud to join my colleagues in passing these six commonsense bills

which I have pushed for across the aisle to strengthen protections for victims of sex trafficking, and Judge Poe has done a great job setting the stage here for the child who is the victim of sex trafficking.

I think we all need to work on our language and our understanding. He is absolutely correct. I look forward to passing more of these reforms tomorrow and to continuing our bipartisan work together.

It saddens and astonishes me that in today's world, human trafficking remains such a serious problem both here at home and abroad. Throughout the world, thousands of women and underage children are being trafficked and forced to commit sexual acts against their will.

As Judge Poe so eloquently stated, rape, that is what we are talking about. It is sickening that individuals advertise and promote this heinous practice in order to make a quick profit. Representative Wagner's legislation, the SAVE Act, which I helped to cointroduce, would penalize individuals who knowingly host and sell advertisements for the commercial exploitation of minors and trafficking victims.

Last Congress, as she eloquently stated, I was very proud to reach across the aisle and join Representative Wagner to lead all House women--every single House woman Member, Republican and Democrat--in urging the Obama administration to push the United Nations Security Council to add Boko Haram to the Al-Qaida Sanctions List, following the abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls threatened to be sold into sexual slavery by this terrorist group.

The horrific kidnapping of the female Nigerian school students captured the world's shock and horror; however, human trafficking is not just a foreign issue. Together, we can be a powerful bipartisan voice against the horrors of this and other instances of human trafficking.

Both Democrats and Republicans in the House understand the importance of working together to protect women and girls, and they know that trafficking isn't just a political issue, it is a human issue.

I have organized discussions on this topic back home in New Hampshire where I have heard from community leaders, law enforcement officials, academic researchers, advocates, and--most importantly and, frankly, most eloquently--the trafficking victims themselves about the ongoing occurrence of human and sex trafficking taking place right here in our own backyard.

Domestic child sex trafficking is a serious problem in the United States, with an estimated 293,000 American youth at risk of commercial sex trafficking and exploitation.

It is imperative that we pass these bills to help law enforcement rescue domestic victims, track down their exploiters, provide additional tools for prosecutors to treat trafficked minors as victims instead of criminals, and ensure access to protective services. Again, I commend Judge Poe for his eloquent description.

I applaud the House leadership for bringing to a vote these bipartisan bills to prevent trafficking and provide support to victims. As a mother, I honestly cannot even imagine the anguish and the pain that these families go through as they fight to bring their loved ones back home.

It is essential that we pass these bills and, moving forward, that we do everything together to support States' and countries' efforts to eliminate human trafficking.

Thank you, Representative Wagner, and to all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for organizing this worthy effort.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor Lieutenant Colonel Stephanie Riley of the New Hampshire National Guard, a courageous Granite Stater who recently passed away after a long battle with cancer. In addition to her work as an occupational nurse for the Army and her dedicated service to the National Guard, Steph touched so many lives with her energy and compassion.

Steph leaves behind a wonderful husband, Shawn, and two terrific kids, Shane and Sammie, as well as countless friends and admirers all across New Hampshire. She was a tireless advocate for veterans, serving as secretary of our State's Veterans Advisory Council. She was devoted to the next generation of leaders.

When Steph was diagnosed with cancer, she refused to be discouraged. She was open about her disease, fighting on behalf of cancer research. I had the honor of walking with her on her team, Steph Strong, in an event to raise cancer awareness. As always, she was kind and vivacious, joking with friends and family. I consider myself very lucky to have been her friend. Steph was a wonderful, brave Granite Stater.