Friday, February 26, 2021

Missing Angels


 Missing Angels 

Leigh and I have been on this grief journey since June 1, 2019, the day our son Mark passed from a substance use overdose. There have been times when we were angry, sad, frustrated, and depressed - sometimes separately, sometimes all at once. 

There are so many others who have shared this experience, and too many who are, and sadly will. This madness of the opioid epidemic has to stop! 


Orleans Recovery - Hope Begins Here offered 'Missing Angels' as a program to help those coping with grief from a substance use passing. Orleans Recovery has approved our continuing this program as an outreach to the citizens of Orleans County, Genesee County, Western Monroe County, and Eastern Niagara County in Western New York. We are happy to do this, to be A Voice For Mark, in this continuing struggle. 

Missing Angels meets twice a month, once in an online meeting, and then in-person. We welcome any and all who have gone through this horrible experience of living with, and losing, a loved one who has suffered with, and died from a substance use disorder

Please contact Leigh and I for details on where and when we hold the meetings. You are not alone in this.

3 comments:

  1. Thank you all for reading this post! This is so important to Leigh and I! Please share the message there is support!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello! I've been following your post on here since you started "blogging" about the effects that losing Mark has had on you, your family, and the community as well. I'm sure you know who I am as I know who you are and I know your family very well. If you don't know me, here's just a bit of "history" about me. On December 12, 2010 my Dad fould my youngest brother, Adam, on his bedroom floor. He had been gone for a few hours, so there was no "saving" him. Adam had been a heroin addict for about 6-7 years and in the end that demon indirectly took his life. Fast forward to August 17, 2017; On this day my parents came home from being at the Buffalo VA all day. My Dad had "that feeling" again. He proceeded upstairs just as he had 7 years prior and indeed, his feeling was right. On his mattress, lay my brother BJ for my Dad to find. BJ had suffered from an almost 15 year heroin addiction. I can say I feel and understand your pain because my family has had to endure that pain twice because of the same demon. A parent should never have to bury their child. For my parents they had to do it twice. How did I cope with losing my first brother? I ran! I ran two hours away. Packed up my kids and ran from the hurt, the pain. When my second brother passed I was "settled" in Allegany County (where I still live), but I'm still running from it all. I miss my brother BJ dearly, but my brother Adam was my best friend. I go through all of the motions over and over again, yet I still can't find closure. I find myself so angry with God, yet I still Pray to him. I know this comment is lengthy, but something finally gave me the courage to share some of my story with you. With that being said, I know I'm not alone and know your not alone either. BJ and Mark were really good friends. So when I heard of Mark's passing, well I stopped and Prayed that hopefully Mark and BJ, and all of our youth that we have lost to addiction are hopefully in Heaven together; With no more addictions, no more hurt, a peaceful soul for them to rest easy until we all meet again. Thank you in advance for reading my story.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I also want to share the songs I chose for their funerals. At Adam's funeral I chose to have Who I Am by Casting Crowns played. For BJ's funeral I chose Brad Paisley, When I Get Where I'm Going played. I listen to those songs often and I think about all of our childhood memories and I think, if only I could of said goodbye. Would it make having closure easily? One will never know.

    ReplyDelete

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