Illinois Letters for First Lady MK Pritzker

Cindy Watson’s Daughter

Dear First Lady M K Pritzker,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my beautiful daughter, &
ONLY child, Amber, on October 12, 2021, at the young age of forever 17. We had spent
the entire day together on October 11, 2021, shopping in anticipation of her Senior
pictures that afternoon. It ended up being a windy day, therefore, they had to be
rescheduled, however, were never taken due to her death, nor did she get to finish her
Senior year of high school. She headed off to work, where she was a Hostess at 54th
Street Bar and Grill, & worked until about 10:00 p.m. that evening. I woke up at 12:30
a.m., on October 12, 2021, to her not being at home, & I was frantically texting & calling
her for about an hour. It was then that I received a call that she was unresponsive at a
park near my house. Amber passed away with Fentanyl & Marijuana in her system. It is
still unknown to me whether the Fentanyl was mixed in with the Marijuana, or if she took
what she thought was Percocet, & it was pure Fentanyl. Her death was a complete shock
to our family & her only brother, her friends, as well as to me. We mourn her daily, & the
shock still haunts our lives daily. The grief, at times, that our family & others feel, is
unbearable.
Amber was headstrong and fiery, with a wicked sense of humor. She was fiercely
passionate and wanted to succeed in everything she did. She was an exceptional singer, a
skilled writer, a talented self-taught piano player, a lovely artist, and a strong advocate for
and lover of animals. More than anything though, she was loved by those around her
because she tried her hardest to make sure others felt loved as well. She was and will
forever be a kind and loving soul.
I know you are an Advocate for Social and Emotional Learning and Mental Health of
children. Our children need to know the dangers presented to them daily around this
epidemic. My daughter was one of those that began her mental health journey with
depression. The impact of COVID-19 did not help with that situation either. We need to
address the grieving of all these families. I’m hopeful as a mother you will understand the
urgency I and countless other mothers in Illinois feel towards ending this epidemic,
educating our children, and addressing the mental health of substance users as well as
those in grief.
Would you assist us in finding a permanent location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall
within our Capitol? We have created two memorial walls. One with photos & one with
names.

These digital walls & albums update automatically. We would also like the photos
displayed in hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected on a wall so families
can touch their loved one's name. We would like our loved ones to be treated like victims.
They were all victims of Purdue Pharma (American cartel) & others. Now, they are victims
of the Chinese criminal networks and the Mexican Cartels. We are using the word
“drugism” for the prejudice toward drug users.
Illinois moms would love to meet with you & work together to prevent this from happening
ever again.
Sincerely,
Cindy Watson, mother of Amber Watson, F17, Belleville, IL

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Jeanine Bothell’s Son

Dear First Lady M K Pritzker,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my beautifully talented,
2nd born son, Luke on August 23, 2021, at the age of 25. After not hearing from him for 26
hours, I made several phone calls (as he was temporarily staying in Chicago; (we live in
Michigan) only to find out my son had passed away in his bedroom of Fentanyl Poisoning.
Luke had a deadly mixture of Xanax and Fentanyl in his system. Our family has been
completely devastated by his loss, and we miss him every minute.
Luke was a beautiful giving soul, he had 3 college degrees, ran his own business, and
managed a Crumble Bakery. He brought us constant laughter, he painted the most
beautiful paintings, and he was a talented clothing line designer. He had his own clothing
line, Takin All Bet$, which we have since carried on raising awareness of illicit drugs. He
was a brother, a cousin, a son, grandson, nephew; and loved deeply. Our family has been
left with a complete hole in our hearts. Luke has five brothers, he was the second of six,
each of his brothers mourn him outright, loudly, and carry a heavy burden. Our entire
family has sought counseling and therapy and we work in outreach. I work with nonprofit
groups trying to bring awareness and education to a society that has put such a stigma on
this issue. It is hard to make anyone see the devastation that Fentanyl is causing this
nation if they haven’t experienced it directly.
My son suffered with SUD, he entered rehabilitation in Dec 2020; upon his return home he
started his daily counseling and follow up programs. Unfortunately, when Covid-19 hit and
most programs were delayed or shut down, this created an environment where
maintaining sobriety became very difficult. Luke relapsed after 6 months of sobriety in the
summer of 2020. He tried to turn himself around, went to NA meetings, (which we
attended), started meditation, and attending church seeking to turn his life around. The
Covid-19 Pandemic took a toll on so many, that not only lost their lives to the virus; but so
many more that were trying to get it together.
I understand that the as first lady you support women’s justice and support improving lives
of women and children affected by the justice system. I am seeking more conscious efforts
and response to the overwhelming statistics of death by Fentanyl. There were more than
1,400 fatal opioid poisonings in Chicago in 2021, the highest number ever recorded in the
city. In the article attached, that number for 2021 may be severely understated.
(https://publichealth.uic.edu/news-stories/new-study-reveals-undercount-of-cook-countyopioid-deaths/)

As a parent, and as a mother, we are asking if the Capitol would be willing to create and
share a version of the Memorial Wall (like the wall Arlington, VA). We have created two
Memorial Walls, one with photos and one with names. I am including Luke’s frame below.
I am also including the brochure of virtual memorial walls, albums, and our awareness
campaign. These digital walls and albums update automatically. We would like the photos
displayed in hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected on a wall so families
can touch their loved one’s name. We would like our loved ones to be treated like victims.
They were all victims of Purdue Pharma (the American Cartel) and many, many others.
Sincerely,
Jeanine Bothell, Luke Bensons Mom - Forever 25
Swartz Creek, MI

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Jennifer Carney’s Son

Dear First Lady MK Pritzker,
My name is Jennifer Carney, and I am a lifelong resident of southwest Illinois. I am writing
to you with a heavy heart, as I lost my only son, Dane Ryan, on January 18, 2023, at the
forever age of 39. Dane died from acute Fentanyl toxicity. The loss of Dane has left a hole
in my heart that is irreparable.
Dane was born on January 7, 1981, in Granite City, Illinois. He had a normal childhood,
although he was always a bit shy, he was never a troublesome child. His problem with
substance abuse began as a young adult in his 20’s, after the sudden death of his father.
Dane suffered from major depression and began using substances as a form of selfmedicating.
When Dane was 35 years old, he decided that substances would no longer rule his life.
Dane completed a rehab program and lived the next several years drug and alcohol free.
During this period, Dane was baptized as a Christian, and helped to start a Celebrate
Recovery program at our local church, where he was known as a “fisher of men”, because
he brought so many people to God and supported them in their recovery efforts. It was
unfortunate that during this period Dane suffered from the loss of an infant child and
relapsed into active addiction.
Illicit Fentanyl had replaced many common street drugs, and Dane had lost many friends
to poisoning by this drug. On January 18th, 2020, Dane told me he loved me, and went out
for the evening. I frantically tried to reach him by phone and text that night at no avail. The
coroner appeared at my house at 3pm on January 18th. Dane had been found deceased.
Dane’s memorial service was beautiful, and over 250 people came to pay their respects to
this kind-hearted, soft-spoken man, whose life had been cut short by the current drug
epidemic. Even 3 ½ years later, I am still approached by people that tell me stories of how
Dane had helped them in some way and touched their lives. I feel honored to be called
“Dane’s Mom”.
Dane is only one of thousands in our country and the state of Illinois that have been lost to
the drug epidemic. I am rallying with other parents to honor our children by requesting that
a memorial wall is placed in each State Capitol. Would you please consider helping us by
finding a place in the Illinois State Capitol to place this wall?
I am including a frame of my son Dane that currently exists on a memorial wall in
Arlington, VA.
Thank you for taking the time to hear Dane’s story and for considering my request.
Respectfully,
Jennifer Carney, Granite City, IL

Karyn Mitchell’s Son

Dear First Lady Mary K Pritzker,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my only child, Michael, on
December 6th, 2020, at the age of forever 37. My son died in the house where two people were
with him and let him die. The police never even looked at his phone that had the number of the
likely person that gave him the poisoned heroin. Michael died of Fentanyl laced heroin. He was
poisoned! His death was a complete shock to me and his friends. We mourn his daily presence
in our lives.
Michael was an amazing man. I consider it an honor to have been his mother. He was witty and
smart. He would do anything for anyone, including giving someone the shirt off his back, and he
has. He wanted to be a Mathematics teacher. He was loved by more people than I even know
who have shared stories about what a great human being he was. There are no descriptors for
the loss of my only child, my only son. The grief at times is unspeakable, unbearable, and
unstoppable.
I know you are an Advocate for children and women. Our children need to know the dangers
presented to them daily around this epidemic. My son was one of those that began his mental
health journey after a car accident in 2010 where he has prescribed OxyContin. In 2013 Oxy was
very expensive so he found heroin. One opioid that was abused by many got them hooked on
cheaper heroin. Now, dealers are adding fentanyl. We need to address the grieving of all these
families. I’m hopeful as a mother you will understand the urgency I and countless other mothers
in Illinois feel towards ending this epidemic, educating our children, & addressing the mental
health of substance users as well as those in grief.
Would you assist us in finding a permanent location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall within
our Capitol? We have created two memorial walls. One with photos & one with names. I am
including Michael's frame, below.
These digital walls and albums update automatically. We would also like the photos displayed in
hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected on a wall so families can touch their loved
one's name. We would like our loved ones to be treated like victims. They were all victims of
Purdue Pharma (an American cartel) and many, many others. Now, they are victims of the
Chinese criminal networks and the Mexican Cartels. We are using the word “drugism” for the
prejudice toward drug users.
Illinois moms would love to meet with you & work to prevent this from happening ever again.
Sincerely,
Karyn Mitchell, mother of Michael Davies, forever 37
South Wilmington, IL

Linda Siedlinski’s Son

Dear First Lady MK Pritzker,
I lost my first son, Keith, on October 19, 2017, at the forever age of 34, two weeks after his
birthday. He was our only son. He died due to someone poisoning him with fentanyl. He
has one sister Dawn and at the time we watched her 2-year-old daughter as she was a
nurse working 12-hour shifts. Her husband was working as a police officer. Sometimes it
was hard for us with a little one, Keith would come out of his room and play with her. They
had a very special bond. She is now 7 and she still asks about him. We celebrated his
next birthday on vacation. We brought his ashes with us and made a cake. She asked
me if Keith was coming. I told her how he can’t because he is in Heaven now. She said,
“Maybe he will grandma, maybe he will surprise you”. She taught her sister about Keith.
She is now 3 years old, and she asks us about Keith all the time. We went to the Passion
of Christ in Indiana. Hailey was 3 years old. At the end Jesus comes back and she yells
“see Keith can come back too”. I just sobbed.
Keith will never be able to be a dad. He will never have a wife. He will never get to play
with Hailey or her two sisters. Keith is gone and the pain is unreal. Our family is forever
changed, and it hurts every day.
Keith was in a car accident with his small Saturn car in 2009. He always helped people
out. I still remember him getting ready that night. He was waiting to turn into a gas
station, and he was hit from behind. The person that hit him took off. It spun the car, and
someone also hit him from the other direction. The car looked like it had exploded. It was
just on a city street. We were called to the hospital that night. We sat for hours in the
waiting room in the dark. We were the only ones there. The doctor came out about 5
hours later and said, “He is alive, but we couldn’t put his arm back on!”. I looked at him
and said, “How does an arm come off?” He barely made it. His colon was twisted from
the seatbelt and then he got gangrene so they had to keep his stomach open until they
could reattach it again. He spent months in the hospital. He had traumatic brain injury
and he had to learn to eat and walk again. He spent time in a rehab learning how to get in
and out of a car, how to feed himself. We had to learn how to change an ileostomy bag
and keep the open stomach clean with fake skin and some lace up bandage. He went
back into the hospital to have skin grafted from his thigh to the end of his stub because it
wasn’t healing. He was in so much pain, he would yell “just let me die”. He went back into
the hospital months later to have his colon put back in and about a year later he ended up
with a hernia that had to be fixed.
Keith certainly was never the same. I believe he had eight surgeries in total. As a child he
was a model. He was in Kmart, JC Penney’s, and Montgomery Wards on the same week
and now he had no arm and a TBI. He ended up getting a job in a haunted house. For

me it was very hard to see him looking gory with blood coming from his arm, but he had
friends and a job.
Keith was then diagnosed with ADD which I didn’t understand, but he didn’t always
remember words and he was more like a child in his mind. We left him alone for a
vacation, something we never did. We left on his birthday. He was sleeping and ran out of
the house in his pajamas to say goodbye and hug me. We talked every day. He fed the
cat, fed the fish, went to work, and vacuumed. I made sure a relative took him to work and
someone was there to pick him up. He did well. We came home on a Saturday. It was the
following Tuesday. I ran to a store and the bank. He hadn’t put his clothes away and that
was very unusual for him. I went into his room and found him on the floor unconscious. I
yelled for my husband to call 911 and I started chest compressions. The paramedics were
at our house in 5 to 10 minutes. They took him to the hospital. My cousin mentioned that
when I rubbed his arm his blood pressure would start to elevate. During the night, they
said he would be a vegetable for the rest of his life, I can’t even remember the words and
that I should let him go. We went home and I only got to brush my teeth before the
hospital called and said we needed to get to the hospital, that his blood pressure was
dropping. We went back and I watched him die.
I barely told anyone that he had passed as I was too distraught. We thought he had a
heart attack or stroke, but months later (Cook County takes months to get the autopsy
results) we found it was fentanyl. The funeral home was packed! All the haunted house
workers came, relatives far and near, my coworkers, my husband’s coworkers. We were
able to get a pastor who had lost his leg in a car accident to do the service at the funeral
home. I had Keith cremated, but I was never able to bury him. He is here with us in our
living room. I need what is left of him close to me.
Keith will be forever murdered by this drug crisis along with so many more. Will you help
the healing, if that is even possible, by putting up a Memorial Wall in our Capitol in their
honor?
Thank you for your consideration,
Linda Siedlinski-Keith’s forever mom, Keith forever 34

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Lisa Vasquez’s Son

Dear First Lady MK Pritzker,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. After hearing the news of my
son’s death, I thought arranging his service was going to be the most difficult thing I would
ever have to do, but I was wrong. Living my life without my son’s smile & his hugs is even
harder. He would have been 19 years old on January 30, 2023. His name is Thomas
Signorile. He was a precious, gentle soul & incredibly smart. He graduated with more than
a 4.0 GPA & received a scholarship to attend Carthage College. Thomas was also
transgender, FTM. He used to talk about having a purpose in life & making a difference.
He wanted to have a family someday, have kids of his own & adopt. He was very eager to
adopt kids that felt unloved & out of place. He was always there for everyone & always
knew the right thing to say to make you feel better. He was an inspiration, always
encouraging you to stay positive, to keep fighting & reminding you to love your “authentic”
self (his words) no matter what society tells you. To be true to who you are, to accept &
love yourself. Thomas also suffered from anxiety, depression & gender dysphoria.
Although he was very invested in his therapy, he had been on so many medications
throughout his life; sometimes five different medications at a time. He suffered a great
deal from the side effects, both mentally & physically, from headaches, stomach aches,
lack of focus, dry mouth, fatigue, restlessness, tremors, twitching, serotonin syndrome,
agitation, trouble sleeping & feeling "numb.” He was determined to feel better & that is
why he chose to study medicine. He wanted to become a scientist to cure diseases, find
ways to create better medicines that can help & cure people without devastating side
effects.
Thomas had a vast concern for politics. He was concerned for transgender rights, the
environment, the poor, the elderly, minorities, & animals. He wanted everyone to be
treated fairly, wanted the world to be a better place & wanted his visions to become a
reality. I was never interested in voting, but Thomas took his time to educate me. He was a
huge supporter of your husband; JB Pritzker & he made sure once he turned 18 that his
vote would matter. I remember that day, (November 8, 2022) it was one of our last
conversations. He was worried that he wouldn’t make it home in time to vote & was
anxious because Darren & Pritzker were neck & neck. Thomas said there was no way that
Pritzker was going to lose because we didn’t make it to vote. He was at school at
Carthage that day; but rushed home to make sure he voted for your husband & made
sure that I voted too. This was the first time either of us had voted. This was just three
days before he died. On November 11, 2022, Thomas died from acute fentanyl toxicity. He
was poisoned with pills laced with fentanyl. Thomas is no longer here to pursue his
dreams, no longer here to be that shining light. A son, a brother, a cousin, a nephew, and
a friend has been ripped away from the people who loved him. The magnitude of grief,

depression, sadness & loss cannot be expressed into words. We have shared Thomas’s
ashes with loved ones & now pieces of Thomas sit on dressers or nightstands, maybe
even in a wallet or purse. Thomas was my best friend & my hero. He made me proud that I
was his mom. Thomas meant so much to so many, our lives will not be the same without
him.
Illinois has lost 3,013 lives in 2021 to fentanyl. In December of 2022, the DEA seized
enough doses of fentanyl to kill every American in the United States. I am committed to
ending these losses & honoring my son & the lost lives of others. I’m hopeful as a mother
you will understand the urgency I & countless other mothers in Illinois feel towards ending
this epidemic, educating our children & addressing the mental health of substance users,
as well as those in grief. We need your help assisting us in finding a permanent location
for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall within our Capitol. I am including Thomas’s frame
below. These digital walls & albums update automatically. We would like the photos
displayed in a hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected so families can touch
their loved one's name. It is important to educate how much of a destructive impact
fentanyl poisoning has on our families. A group of Illinois moms would love to meet with
you & work together to prevent this from happening ever again.
Sincerely,
Lisa Vasquez, mother of Thomas Signorile F18
Highland Park, IL

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Marilu Caballero’s Son

Dear First Lady M K Pritzker,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my son, Eduardo (EJ)
Caballero, on September 12, 2021, at the age of forever 29. I went to church that
morning & went to wake him after I realized that it was after 1 pm & he usually was up by
11 a.m. when his children were not at our home. The door was locked which was unusual.
When my husband unlocked the door, I found him at the foot of his bed. He was already
cold to the touch. It was cocaine with Fentanyl poisoning. His death was a complete shock
to his three children, his ex-wife, his friends & his family here & in South America. I still
miss him every day & sometimes cannot fathom that this happened to him.
EJ was a wonderful & sensitive young man. He was very charming & enjoyed soccer very
much. He enjoyed cooking & hanging with his children. He loved working on cars. He
was the bright spot of the family. Unfortunately, the drugs changed him so much & he
knew he needed help but just couldn’t do it. He had been in & out of detox & Narcotics
Anonymous. He just could not stay sober.
He was Dad to Mia, 11; Max, 8 & Meliani 6. The children were very young & miss him very
much. His youngest was very close to him & told me one time in tears, “Why was I born
last?”. She felt that she didn’t have enough time with her dad. That was so hard that a
child at 5, could realize that she missed out on him. He had one sister, my daughter
Marisa. She has withdrawn very much in her life & is just slowly getting back to normal.
Our relationship suffered as well as she retreated and was so angry that she had lost her
baby brother. The grief at times is unspeakable, unbearable & unstoppable. In 2021, there
were 3,013 fatalities due to opioid overdose in Illinois. I am committed to ending these
losses & honoring my son and the other children’s lives.
Our children need to know the dangers presented to them daily around this epidemic. My
son was very depressed from his divorce & his father not being around. He turned to
Xanax for his anxiety & with the Covid epidemic, it caused more of a depression, it
snowballed from there until he was killed. We need to address the grieving of all these
families. I’m hopeful as a mother you will understand the urgency I & countless other
mothers in Illinois feel towards ending this epidemic, educating our children, & addressing
the mental health of substance users as well as those in grief.

Would you assist us in finding a permanent location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall
within our Capitol? We have created two memorial Walls. One with photos & one with
names. I am including EJ’s frame. The picture was the last day of his life. He had taken
me to dinner for my birthday. He died 5 days after my birthday. These digital walls and
albums update automatically. We would also like the photos displayed in hard copy format.
The wall of names can be projected on a wall so families can touch their loved one's
name. We would like our loved ones to be treated like victims. We are using the word
“drugism” for the prejudice toward drug users.
Illinois moms would love to meet with you and work together to prevent this from
happening ever again.
Sincerely,
Marilu Caballero, mother of Eduardo (EJ) Caballero, Aurora, IL

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Mary Ellyn Carroll’s Son

Dear First Lady M K Pritzker,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my beautiful, youngest son,
Daniel, on July 5, 2022, at the age of forever 28. His dad found him deceased on the floor in
front of his bedroom after he text messaged him, saying he was getting ready for work. Daniel
died of Fentanyl poisoning. His death was a complete shock to his 3 siblings, co-workers, an
entire neighborhood of friends, as well as me. We mourn his daily presence in our lives.
Daniel was an intelligent man, he was funny, quick witted, kind, loving and cared about everyone.
He was wise beyond his years, always giving encouragement & positive advice, always helping
out the less fortunate with whatever he could. Danny was easy to talk to, always willing to listen
and help wherever needed. He had a smile that would light up the room. He was just starting a
career in construction, loving life & what he had accomplished. Danny loved the outdoors,
nature, enjoyed playing Frisbee golf whenever he could, he loved to cook & spend time with his
dad’s dog. We called him the dog whisperer as he had a way with animals. He made his mom &
dad proud. He was helping his dad with any task needed on his property in upper Michigan. I
miss his laugh, his knowledge, his smile, his hugs & his nightly “I love you mom”. He was a
brother to Christine 39, DJ 36 and Susan 42 and Uncle to Abigail 14, Annabelle 11, Savannah
10, Logan 7 & Ellynor 2. He was loved & respected by anyone he came in contact with. There
are no descriptors for the loss his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and children
are experiencing. The grief at times is unspeakable, unbearable & unstoppable. Although Danny
died in Michigan, I am a resident of Illinois. Danny was born and raised in Illinois, moving to
Michigan 6 months prior to his death. There were 3,762 deaths in Illinois this year & it continues
to grow daily.
This epidemic is unbelievable & I am committed to ending these losses and honoring my son and
the other children’s lives. We need to address the grieving of all these families. I’m hopeful as a
mother of two teenagers you will understand the urgency I and countless other mothers in Illinois
feel towards ending this epidemic, educating our children, and addressing the mental health of
substance users as well as those in grief.
Would you assist us in finding a permanent location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall within
our Capitol? We have created two memorial Walls. One with names & one with photos. I am
including Daniel’s frame, below. I am also including the brochure of virtual memorial walls,
albums, & our awareness campaign.
We would also like the photos displayed in hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected
on a wall so families can touch their loved one's name. We would like our loved ones to be
treated like victims. They were all victims of Purdue Pharma (an American cartel) & many, many
others. Now, they are victims of the Chinese criminal networks and the Mexican Cartels.
A group of our Illinois moms would love to meet with you and work together to prevent this from
happening ever again.
Sincerely, Mary Ellyn Carroll, mother of Daniel Powalish, 28
Fox Lake, IL

Sharon Ryan Crivellone’s Son

Dear First Lady M.K. Pritzker,
My name is Sharon Ryan Crivellone. I am writing to you, not only as a mother, but as a
member and supporter of the First Ladies’ Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall campaign in
Illinois. Our goal is to have a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall up in all 50 State Capitols to
honor our loved ones as victims who were poisoned/murdered by fentanyl and other
drugs. Illinois needs to acknowledge that our loved ones mattered, and this fentanyl crisis
is only getting worse.
I lost my first-born son, John “Jack” Ryan Crivellone on January 26, 2021. Jack was 23
years old when he was poisoned. He was given a pill which he thought was a Xanax. My
husband found him in our family home in my bed. My son did NOT want to die and he was
so excited for his future. He was to start his electrical apprenticeship with I.B.E.W. Local
134 and he was thrilled to have my hand me down Jeep Commander. He had a full life
ahead of him and he unknowingly took that fateful pill that was laced with fentanyl. It will
be three years in January, and I am still numb and in shock! Not a day goes by that I don’t
think of my son.
My son Jack was a kindhearted sensitive young man. He was shy at times but so loving
and willing to help others out whenever possible. Jack was such a hard worker and he had
ambitions and goals. Jack loved his family, and he is survived by his younger brothers
Brian and Kevin. Our lives will never be the same.
I’m hopeful as a mother you will understand the urgency I and countless other mothers in
Illinois feel towards ending this epidemic, educating our children, and addressing this drug
crisis our country is facing. Fentanyl is destroying and killing so many in our nation. It
DOES NOT discriminate. It can happen to anyone. Jack’s name and picture are currently
on the DEA FACES OF FENTANYL MEMORIAL WALL in Arlington, Virginia. Our children
that are dying were so much more that what took their lives.
I believe a memorial wall at our State Capitol in Springfield with the names and faces
poisoned/murdered from fentanyl and other drugs, as well would be a great honor. Thank
you for your consideration in helping us honor our children who have lost their lives to this
poison, and for helping to make this wall happen here in Illinois in their memory.
Sincerely,
Sharon, Jack’s mom; forever 23
Chicago, IL

Theresa Kluck’s Cousin

Dear First Lady MK Pritzker,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my lovely cousin, Matthew, on May
8, 2021, at the age of forever 35. His friend found him deceased in the bathroom. Matthew died of
Fentanyl poisoning. His death was a complete shock to his children, siblings, an entire neighborhood
of friends, family, and as well as me. We mourn his daily presence in our lives.
Matthew was an intelligent man. Matthew and I have always had a remarkably close relationship
with each other ever since we were little kids. He made me proud. He was charismatic, kind, loved to
cook, silly, a huge Ohio State Buckeye and Cincinnati Bengals Fan, a father, son, brother, cousin,
nephew, uncle, grandson, and friend. I miss his laugh, his knowledge, his smile, his advice when I
needed something, his voice and his warm hugs. His death created a loss for more than our family,
an entire neighborhood in Portsmouth and Hillsboro Ohio. He was loved and respected by his
neighbors, and they suffered a great loss and feel eerily unsafe without him residing close by. There
are no descriptors for the loss his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, father
and stepmother and children are experiencing.
The grief, at times, is unspeakable, unbearable and unstoppable. Although Matthew died in Ohio, I
am a resident of Illinois. Illinois lost 3,762 lives to this epidemic in 2021, and I am committed to
ending these losses and honoring my cousin and the other children’s lives and memory.
I know you are an advocate for Early Childhood Development and Women’s Health. Our children
need to know the dangers presented to them daily around this epidemic. My cousin was one of
those that began his mental health journey when he had to go to the scene of an accident and
identify his younger sister’s body who was just struck and killed by a vehicle. He blamed himself for
her death and he was a child himself at the time. We need to address the grieving of all these
families. I am hopeful as a mother you will understand the urgency I and countless other mothers
and family members in Illinois feel towards ending this epidemic, educating our children, and
addressing the mental health of substance users as well as those in grief.
Would you assist us in finding a permanent location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall within our
Capitol? We have created two memorial Walls. One with photos and one with names. I am including
Matthew’s frame, below.
These digital walls and albums update automatically. We would also like the photos displayed in
hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected on a wall so families can touch their loved
one's name. We would like our loved ones to be treated like victims. They were all victims of Purdue
Pharma (an American cartel) and many, many others. Now, they are victims of the Chinese criminal
networks and the Mexican Cartels. We are using the word “drugism” for the prejudice toward drug
users.
Illinois moms would love to meet with you and work together to prevent this from happening ever
again.
Sincerely,
Theresa Kluck, cousin of Matthew Fahnestock, Forever 35
Tinley Park, Illinois

Wendy Bank’s Son

Dear First Lady MK Pritzker,
My name is Wendy Bank and I am a part of a support group, The Drug Epidemic Memorial
Wall. This group was formed to honor those victims lost to the drug epidemic.
My only son, Austin James “AJ” Bank of Aurora, Illinois was unknowingly poisoned to
death by fentanyl given to him by someone he trusted. He was found deceased on
10/2/2020 just 5 days before his 24th birthday.
To know him was to love him. AJ was a kind, loving and gentle soul. He was intelligent,
witty and would do anything for anyone. AJ was a devoted Chicago sports fan. He had
attended the celebration parade for the Cubs World Series and found himself saving a
fellow classmate that collapsed in the streets from the heat, nearly being trampled. AJ was
the only one in his friend group that stayed behind to get him aid and make sure his
parents were notified.
AJ graduated from Marmion Military Academy. He played football, baseball and Lacrosse
as well as being a member of the ROTC program. He loved snowboarding, fishing and
spending time with his family. AJ was a beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and
genuine friend to so many.
It is my understanding you are an advocate for healthcare. AJ didn’t get the proper
treatment from his doctors for his depression. There are so many young kids and adults
falling victim to the mental health crisis and being left untreated because of stigmas that
are leaving many to self-medicate with drugs.
As I am sure you understand ALL street drugs, many disguised as prescription pills are
being laced with Fentanyl. Fentanyl is the #1 killer in ages 18-45 and they are all the
victims of the Chinese criminal network and the Mexican Cartels. Fentanyl should be
labeled as a weapon of mass destruction.
I so humbly ask for your support for the thousands of Illinois families grieving their
devastating loss by helping assist us in finding a permanent location within our state
Capitol to honor all those lost to Fentanyl poisoning.
Our children should learn from their mistakes, not die from them.
With Gratitude,
Wendy Bank/AJ’s Mom/Forever 23 Aurora, IL

Illinois Photo Scrolling Wall:
il.drugepidemicmemorial.org
National Teen Scrolling Wall Of Photos:
https://wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org/photos/teens
National Scrolling Wall Of Photos:
https://wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org/photos
National Scrolling Wall Of Names:
https://wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org/

Awareness
Campaigns
School And Community Prevention Tools
I AM A FORCE FOR CHANGE - SCHOOL/COMMUNITY
PREVENTION TOOLS
Manual For Advocates
I AM A FORCE CHNAGE- PREVENTION MANUAL FOR ADVOCATES
Please feel free to share for awareness, prevention and memorials.
To be included on the Memorial Walls go to:
wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org

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