which they’re not. They’re in the grasp of a demon.”
For many of these activists, a loved one’s death
immersed them in an unfamiliar and terrifying
world. “I knew nothing about heroin—not one
thing—before my son died,” says Kathleen Wolff,
a retired caregiver in Florida who lost her son
Michael to an overdose in August 2014. “After
he died, I was on a mission to learn every single
thing I could learn. I found the only support group
there was back then. I was shocked by the number
of people who were in this situation.” Motivated to
help, she and two other mothers created Covered
with Love, a Facebook support group that pro-
vides a place for families of addicts to learn about
treatments and resources—or simply to talk about
their own emotional journey of addiction and
recovery. “My thinking was that maybe we could
save one mother, one family, one person from
dying, from losing their child, from this God-awful
ain,” she says. Since its launch in October 2014,
the group’s membership has swelled to more than
3,600. “People were finding our group because
they needed help,” she says. “They were desperate.
We had people sign in on our map, mark their loca-
tions, so if someone needed help, who lives near
them? Who could take a drink, a meal, a blanket
and have a safe conversation with someone else’s
child? By helping, my pain was lessened somehow.
It helped me heal. ”
The stigma of drug addiction weighed heavily on
Kim Humphrey, a retired Phoenix Police Depart-
ment commander who has been a facilitator of the
nonprofit Parents of Addicted Loved Ones since
- Humphrey and his wife, Michelle, watched
their two sons go through addiction and recov-
ery—both have been sober for several years—and
now share their experiences at the organization’s
weekly meetings. “Some say, ‘That will never hap-
pen to my kid. I’m raising my kid properly,’” says
Humphrey. “I don’t know what to tell you. My
wife and I have been married 34 years and have a
strong, stable family unit. We have to get past the
idea that addiction is a character flaw.”
Even as the number of casualties continues
to rise, families who have lost loved ones hope
that by sharing their stories they can help others
avoid a similar fate. “People say, ‘Oh, they have to
hit rock bottom,’ says Bill Schmincke, who is now
raising his son Steven’s daughters Abigail, 6, and
Cassidy, 7. “Well, death was my son’s rock bottom.
It doesn’t have to be other people’s.”
ByAlexandra Rockey FlemingandSteve Helling
with reporting byCaitlin Keating, Liam Berry
andAlexis Chestnov
If someone you
know is addicted,
these groups
maybeableto
assist:
Substance Abuse
and Mental
Health Services
Administration
An agency of the
U.S. Department
of Health and
Human Services
(samhsa.gov,
800-662-4357),
it offers referrals
to treatment
programs around
the U.S.
ihateheroin.org
The Iowa-based
nonprofit
provides info
and nationwide
support
for recovery
assistance.
learn2cope.org
A support
network for
families dealing
with addiction.
dd
papa
tt
HOW TO
GET
HELP
PEOPLE August 21, 2017 65
Heather Hoffmaster, 24 Jonathan Ferrara, 27 Joe Magyar, 33 Naomi Caulfield, 29 Corbin Clevenger, 17 David Orr, 34 Samantha Roser, 23
David Mitchell, 25 Harley Chamberlin, 38 Jonathan Greeley, 30 Richard Cosner, 30 Warren Waldroop, 35 Delaney Farrell, 23 Daniel Cogan, 22
TOP, FROM LEFT: JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES; TOM GRALISH/PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER; VICTIMS: COURTESY FAMILY & FRIENDS