Claim OwnershipGrieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic
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© 2025 Grieving Out Loud: A Mother Coping with Loss in the Opioid Epidemic
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Angela Kennecke is a journalist who lost her 21-year-old daughter Emily to fentanyl poisoning on May 16, 2018. Angela is "grieving out loud" to try to put an end to this epidemic by stopping the stigma and promoting the treatment of substance use disorder as the disease it is. Anyone coping with loss and looking for inspiration can benefit from listening to this podcast.
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For so many young athletes, playing a college sport is the dream. But for Taelin Webb, one wasn’t enough—he excelled in two. From standout basketball player to football star at Southern Utah University, Taelin was the kind of athlete who seemed unstoppable: disciplined, passionate, and in peak physical condition.Taelin’s dad, Vonn Webb, who also coached at the collegiate level, says he didn’t have any major concerns about his son, but little did he know that his son had a secret struggle.Hear...
Welcome to a special edition of Grieving Out Loud, where we reflect on some of the most impactful conversations of 2024. This year, we shared stories that illuminated the devastating effects of the overdose and fentanyl crisis—stories ranging from a Nashville wedding overshadowed by tragedy to a sister’s fight for justice after her brother’s murder.We heard from a grieving father battling Purdue Pharma, a paramedic turned bereaved mother, and the cousin of the late musician Prince, who offere...
His resume is nothing short of remarkable. Mark Bodnarczuk is a brilliant intellectual, a celebrated author, and a respected researcher who manages and provides oversight for three programs at Stanford. Yet, his latest book Finding New Life After the Death of my Son ventures far beyond his professional accolades—it delves into the raw, devastating pain of a tragedy that silenced him for a couple of years: the sudden loss of his 17-year-old son to fentanyl.Now, Mark courageously opens his hear...
Opioid overdose deaths in the U.S. have dropped to their lowest levels since 2020, with new CDC estimates showing just over 60,650 lives lost between June 2023 and June 2024—an 18% decrease from the previous year. While this is a hopeful trend, the real story might be far more sobering.On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we delve into the hidden truths of the opioid epidemic with the founder of Truth Pharm. She argues that the actual number of overdose deaths could be three times what’s rep...
Nicola Marshall’s world was shattered by a sudden, heartbreaking loss that made headlines around the globe. Her 12-year-old son died after falling from a balcony while they were vacationing in Spain.Yet, amidst this unimaginable heartache, Nicola discovered a way to move forward—one careful step at a time. Now, she has dedicated her life to understanding grief and supporting others as they navigate their own journeys, offering hope when it feels hardest to find. Nicola is working on writing a...
Nearly 49 million Americans, or about 17% of the population, are battling addiction, according to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Now, picture ten of your closest friends—nearly two of them could be quietly fighting this hidden battle. Yet, addiction often remains a silent struggle, weighed down by stigma and shame.For years, Michele Hein kept her son's struggle with substance use disorder private. But after Tyler's tragic death from fentanyl poisoning, she's speaking out t...
Doctors are people we often trust to make the best decisions for our health. While that's usually the case, it’s not always true. Dr. Stan Li, a once-respected anesthesiologist, became known as "New York’s deadliest pill pusher." Li wrote more than 21,000 prescriptions for drugs such as oxycodone and Xanax and was ultimately convicted of manslaughter in the overdose deaths of two patients.In this episode of “Grieving Out Loud,” we speak with Charlotte Bismuth, the former assistant district at...
Addiction's impact extends far beyond adults and teens—each year, over 20,000 babies are born dependent on drugs due to prenatal exposure. In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we speak with a neonatal nurse practitioner who saw a critical need to provide care for these vulnerable newborns and their families.At Hushabye Nursery in Phoenix, more than 800 babies have received life-saving treatment in the four years since its opening, offering specialized support for opioid-exposed infants and t...
We're taking a break this week for the election, but we will return next week with a powerful new episode of Grieving Out Loud. Next week's episode dives into a struggle that too many families face, but often goes unspoken. Every year, more than 20,000 babies are born affected by a mother's substance use during pregnancy. That's one baby every 25 minutes, each entering the world already fighting. "Every time I would take it, I would just feel so bad because I knew he was moving inside m...
After losing her son Alec to fentanyl poisoning on his 26th birthday, Dita Bhargava has transformed her grief into action, becoming a powerful voice in the fight against fentanyl. She’s engaged in important conversations with political leaders across America, including Vice President Kamala Harris.On Overdose Awareness Day, Harris highlighted Dita’s story in her message about the opioid crisis, writing on Facebook: “We remember Tiarra, Jonathan, Alec, and millions of others who lost their liv...
In this special episode of Grieving Out Loud, we revisit a cherished conversation with Dr. Gladys McGarey, a trailblazer in holistic medicine who passed away on September 28th at the age of 103. Her wisdom transcended the medical field, emphasizing that love is the most powerful healing force.Dr. Gladys built her life around the five L’s: love, life, labor, laughter, and listening—with love as the cornerstone. Her message continues to inspire us to live with purpose and joy, regardless of lif...
Imagine losing not only your mother, but also your twin sister to substance use disorder. On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Cristina Cavallo and her father, Chris, share their deeply personal and heartbreaking story in hopes of raising awareness about a disease that touches millions yet is often left in the shadows. According to the latest National Survey on Drug Use, nearly 49 million Americans—almost 17% of the population—are struggling with substance use disorder.So why don’t we talk a...
As a grieving mother who fought to get help for my daughter’s substance use disorder—and ultimately lost her to fentanyl—I’m often asked what advice I have, or what I wish I had done differently.Today on Grieving Out Loud, I sit down with another grieving mother at the DEA Family Summit on Fentanyl. Kate Sloan, like so many others, learned about the deadly reality of fentanyl far too late. She’s here to share her son’s story—his battle with substance use disorder—and the hard lessons she wish...
In this special episode of Grieving Out Loud, released for International Podcast Day, we deeply look at grief and its multifaceted nature. In our nearly 200 episodes, we’ve shared deeply personal stories from individuals navigating their own paths through loss, offering listeners a chance to find solace and understanding in shared experiences. As we reflect on the lessons gained from past episodes, we also consider the importance of community and connection in navigating the rocky terrai...
As the United States faces its deadliest drug epidemic in history, lives are being lost in unimaginable ways. Over the past two decades, more than 5,000 children and teens have died from fentanyl—among them, toddlers and even infants.Janan Haugen knows these devastating numbers all too well. She’s lost not only her son to drugs, but also her granddaughter to drugs.In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Janan opens up about her emotional journey, the lessons she’s learned through immense hearta...
Hans Arwine choked back tears as he recalled the moment he had to tell his wife that their son was gone. ”That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done–tell his mother that he was no longer with us,” he said.The heartbreaking scene is tragically familiar across America—parents receiving the devastating news that their children have died from fentanyl overdoses. In the United States, nearly 300 people lose their lives to drugs every day.Amidst this widespread grief, the dealers responsible for the...
An Iowa couple was invited to the State of the Union address for a reason they could have never imagined just a few years ago. Deric and Kathy Kidd were unaware of how lethal the illicit drug supply had become until the day they found their teenage son dead in his bedroom. He had taken half a pill, thinking it was Percocet, but it turned out to be a deadly dose of fentanyl.Now, the Kidds have made it their mission to raise awareness about the fentanyl epidemic and the growing mental health cr...
Opioid deaths started skyrocketing when the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin hit the market. Purdue Pharma, the company behind the drug, has been found guilty of numerous charges. It is now featured in a new Netflix original, "Painkiller," highlighting the company’s pushy sales tactics. For some viewers, like today’s guest, the show hits a bit too close to home.Steven May joined Purdue as an OxyContin sales rep back in 1999. At first, he believed in what he was selling, but that cha...
Your life dreams may include starting a business, building a dream home, or nurturing a healthy marriage. But for many, like Sandra Radford, the deepest dream is raising children—a dream she fought to achieve through IVF. Despite the heartbreak of losing two of her triplets during pregnancy, Sandra’s joy was boundless when she welcomed her daughter into the world.But life’s harshest trials lay ahead. Sandra’s world shattered when her cherished daughter fell into the grip of substance use diso...
He’s one of the most notorious pill mill doctors: Dr. Paul Volkman. Sentenced to four consecutive life sentences for unlawfully prescribing pain medications that led to multiple deaths, his story is a shocking descent from a respected pediatrician and emergency room physician to a key figure in flooding southern Ohio with prescription drugs.In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, we sit down with author Philip Eil, who spent nearly 15 years researching and writing about Volkman. His book, Presc...
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everyone is entitled to their own outlook and Theory on addiction but I hurt when anyone discredits the fact that addiction is also a genetic problem. I am not saying that the only way someone becomes addicted is because their great grandma was an alcoholic either. I come from a long line of addicts starting with both grandparents. They did get sober and both became drug and alcohol councilors. Of my 3 uncle's 2 aunts and my mother all 6 suffered in one way or another with the best case is i have a completely sober uncle to the worse case i have an uncle who is drinking himself to death and an aunt who is in jail for crimes. In 2003 my closest cousin died from alcohol poisoning and since than its been one hell of a ride between the cousins and their addictions. Until 1/1/2020 everyone close to me did a pretty good job conquering those demons and survived. So i think addiction and genetics go hand in hand!!
I 100% believe pain pills are the reason people turn to heroin!!