Florida Letters for First Lady Casey DeSantis

Dear First Lady Casey DeSantis,
It is time we acknowledged that no family is immune from the deadly and criminal actions
of those who chose to peddle poison for profit. I am writing to you about this subject now
because I am a grieving mother. I lost my only child, a twenty-nine-year-old son who
unfortunately made the poor decision to experiment with an illicit drug, which contained a
lethal dose of fentanyl. His mistake should not have cost him his life. He was not a regular
illicit drug user, nor was he aware he was given a lethal dose of fentanyl. He and 2 others
were poisoned, unbeknownst to them. My son was the only one who didn’t survive.
Since my son’s passing, it has been an unimaginable journey. Losing a child is something
that unless you walk a day in the shoes of a bereaved parent, you will never know the
level of pain and permanence we endure every second we are breathing. It is a loss that
on some days, you can feel deep in your bones. A heartache that never stops but only
gets more final over time. It is not something that I would wish on anyone. My faith is the
glue that is holding the pieces of my broken heart together. I know God will carry me
though this and my son will be waiting for me on the other side. Some days this is the only
thing I have to hold onto. Accepting that I will never see my son get married, have children,
or grow old has been the hardest thing that I am still trying to process.
As a recently bereaved parent, I can’t stress the importance of keeping my son’s memory
alive, and to be assured that his life mattered. As a parent yourself, I can imagine this
would be very important to you and your family also. It would be healing to have a
memorial where our children can be visited, honored, and remembered by friends and
family. Having this memorial is also equally important to show that this is being
acknowledged by our government. Our beautiful children are not just statistics. Being able
to have their beautiful faces memorialized in our State Capitol would be an amazing
testament to our government’s commitment to our children and their families that are left
behind.
On behalf of myself and all of the other mothers who have lost their children, I implore you
to use your power to create a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. Doing so will honor and
memorialize all the victims in our State and send a strong message to the people of
Florida that safety is your priority and our children who have fallen to this epidemic will not
be forgotten. Thank you so much for this opportunity.
Sincerely,
Gage’s Mom
Paula Gretchin Murray
Orlando, FL