Laurie Kemper: A painful epidemic

Regarding the Feb. 25 editorial “Our drug-death epidemic” reprinted from the Fayetteville Observer: It truly is an epidemic. In the past several weeks, I have read of two young people in their 20s who have died of addictions. I lost my son-in-law last year to an opiate overdose. He had been suffering for about 20 years with pain from a broken neck when he was 14. My best friend lost her son to heroin. He was suffering from depression, but you would never know it as he was always smiling and in a great mood.

The news of this epidemic needs to be spread, and something needs to be done. I am hoping people will read this editorial and become aware that this opiate problem is not just a bunch of drug addicts trying to get a fix. These deaths are of people who are sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, wives and husbands. They were loved and left behind many hurting people. Thanks again for sharing this from the Fayetteville Observer.

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 3:43 PM with the headline "Laurie Kemper: A painful epidemic."