USA First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff

Dear First Lady Kathy Evers,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall and am writing to you to ask for your
help in bringing the Memorial to our state Capitol. I lost my only child, Travis, on October 14,
2017, at the age of 24. His best friend woke up to find him unresponsive and drove him to the
emergency room where, despite their efforts to revive him, he passed away from fentanyl
poisoning.
As we shared in his obituary:
Travis was a loving son, a loyal friend, and an avid Green Bay Packers fan. He was a smart,
funny, caring, and hardworking young man. As described by his closest friends, “Travis was a
great friend with a huge heart. He was understanding and caring, loyal, and loving. He made
people feel comfortable. He was always willing to listen to someone’s problems to try and help
them find a solution. He made his friends feel like they mattered, and the focus was on each other
when they were together. Travis was brave. He was outgoing, witty, and loved to make people
laugh. If he wanted to have a good time, he went out of his way to ensure everyone was going to
have a great time as well. He always knew how to make you smile.” Travis was also a young man
with a substance use disorder...a disease that is misunderstood by so many, a disease that he
tried to fight but that was bigger than him in the end. It is the hope of his family that others who
are struggling with addiction issues will seek out the help they need.
I know that you are an advocate for the social and emotional learning and mental health of
children. Our children need to know the dangers presented to them daily by this epidemic. My son
had some anxiety issues, but it was after he broke his wrist at 18 and was prescribed painkillers
that his substance use issues escalated. I’m hopeful that as a mother and grandmother, you will
understand the urgency I, and countless other mothers in Wisconsin, 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 Travis’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 parents can touch their loved one's name. We would like our loved ones to be treated like the
victims that they are. Victims of Purdue Pharma and other American pharma companies, as well
as the Chinese criminal networks and the Mexican cartels.
A group of our Wisconsin moms would love to meet with you and work together to prevent this
from happening ever again.
Sincerely,
Shari Klessig, mother of Travis Busse, forever 24
Madison, WI 1035