I nearly lost a son to the exact same scenario — 1 / 4 ounce of weed and a pair of handcuffs . So I , too , have experienced this hardship . Except my son lived . His cousin , his best friend , whom he gave CPR to , as with Jennifer ’ s Micheal , did not .
The Overdoses Begin
According to an NPR report written by Brian Mann on December 30 , 2021 , “ Death due to overdoses have topped one million , for the first time since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began collecting data on the problem more than two decades ago .”
Mann continued , “ A study released Thursday by the National Center for Health Statistics , a division of the CDC , found that 932,364 people died from fatal drug overdoses from 1999-2020 .”
The first Oxycontin , the Purdue pharmacy poison , was shipped to the U . S . in 1995 , starting with a well-documented marketing campaign to the southern states , with the highest number of people on Medicaid and Medicare . According to the Government Accountability Office ( didn ’ t know we had one ), in a report issued on December 23 , 2023 , the first three states to be flooded with Oxy — Kentucky , Virginia , and West Virginia — were among the first states to report a problem with the drug .
And this is where Kingsolver ’ s story of Demon Copperhead begins .
Many books and movies are based on books that are one-time reads or watches . The Deer Hunter ( film 1978 ), Apocalypse Now ( Film 1979 ), and Amistad ( film 1997 ) are not for our entertainment . They are for our education . They are true stories woven into a way we can digest them , learn from them , humanize and understand the people who lived through the story , and memorialize those who did not . Demon is among these necessary one-time reads .
These artistic creations teach our history in a way we don ’ t learn in history books . If we do not learn the history of the drug Oxycontin , this can happen to us again .
However , now that I am presented with the opportunity to write about it , my copy of Demon is sitting on my friend Bonna ’ s floor , where I left it , insisting she finish the novel . So , I can ’ t quote much ; I don ’ t have the book .
Greed Kills
There is a reason why Greed is one of the Seven Deadly Sins . Greed kills people . To all of you who have lost friends and loved ones to this man-made epidemic , which is probably all of you , we owe it to ourselves to read Demon Copperhead .
The takeaway for me was the one line I remember that I can quote from Aunt Jane , the Nurse Practitioner who found herself in the thick of it when talking to Demon . “ They did this to us ….” That is what I want Jennifer to know . This was not Michael ’ s doing . Oxy did this to him , to her , and to her , at the time , unborn daughter .
Dear Sweet Jennifer ,
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your story . Know , please , that you are not alone . Oxy did this to you .
I don ’ t know why my son lived and your Micheal did not . I used to say , back some ages ago , when someone survived the oft-unsurvivable , “ There but for the grace of God ....” Nothing rankles me more now .
Jennifer and daughter , Emery
Every mother , spouse , child , sibling , and friend of every one of our loved ones who were swept up in this act of domestic terrorism prayed every bit as hard , worked as hard , and shared the same blood , sweat , and tears as I did . Oxy killed our loved ones ; somehow , mine escaped .
Thank you for soldiering on and giving your beautiful daughter life . Many do not .
I am going to take on the hands of my Gypsy Palm Reader here , and say to you , sweet child , you will find love again , or love will find you . And when that happens , you will be ready . Your Michael would not , does not ( because we both know they are often with us ), want you to live a life without love .
Thank you again for sharing your heart with us . Bless you and your daughter on your journey . Love , Dolores
Editor ’ s Note : See our Rally for Dolores initiative on page 49 .
Dolores Montgomery Halbin , RN , BSN , and Ordained Nurse Minister , resides in SW Missouri . After her husband passed in 2015 , she retired from nursing . She worked with the 2014-2018 Missouri campaigns for legalized medical marijuana . She continues as a cannabis reform activist volunteering with Canna Convict Project and working toward Federal decriminalization through educational speaking and freelance journalism . Dolores Halbin , doloreshalbin @ gmail . com .
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