A life cut much too short

I awoke this morning to some very sad news. A friend from high school, whose daughter has been battling heroin addiction for quite some time, sent me a message on Facebook. She told me that her beautiful daughter's battle with addiction came to an end this past Wednesday night; four days before her 20th birthday.

"We are still waiting to hear what the toxicology report reveals to know whether she overdosed or whether she used tainted heroin, but, either way, she's gone," my friend wrote. "As I sit here with tears in my eyes, and my heart broken and aching, I know [name withheld] is in a better place. I hope that all of her pain and suffering are gone and that she's at peace. Finally."

When I read the message, I broke down and cried. I had never met my friend's daughter, but I still feel like I have lost a family member. Perhaps it's because parents of addicts are, in a way, a family. They face the same struggles, feel the same emotions, and live in fear of the same things every single day. Unless you're the parent of an addict, you can't have any idea what it's like to have a child who is struggling with addiction. You may think you can. But you can't. And, as I've said before, it's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

I talked to my friend on the phone about an hour or so ago. She seems to be doing remarkably well; but I could still hear the pain and grief in her voice. Nobody should have to bury their child. I can't imagine what that feels like.

If you're a reader of this blog, please do me a favor and say a prayer for my friend, her family, and her beautiful daughter, whose life was cut much too short. And if you have kids, PLEASE educate them about drugs. Despite what you may want to believe, it CAN happen to you. Heroin is not an "inner city" drug that's only used by "low-lifes." It's everywhere. Trust me. I know.

For my friend, I share this quote from one of my favorite authors:

"You will lose someone you can’t live without, and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp." --Anne Lamott