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

Dear First Lady Teresa Little,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my daughter
Bethanee Cook, who is forever 28. She was poisoned by fentanyl, and we remain
devastated. Bethanee was an amazing girl. She had suffered great trauma and was
finally getting the help she needed. A relapse should not have ended her life, it only
should have started the process over for her. We loved her beyond imagination.
Bethanee was the kindest, most empathetic girl I have ever known. She was a
manager at her job and people would come to her store just to see her because she
had such a great personality and laugh. She was a phenomenal mom! Her 6-year-old
daughter found her and will now have to live without her world-her mom and with
those horrible memories.
Would you please assist us in finding a location for a permanent Drug Epidemic
Memorial Wall either within our Capitol building or another state building in Boise? We
have created two memorial digital walls, one with pictures and one with names. I am
including Bethanee's frame below. These digital walls and albums update
automatically. We would also like the photos displayed permanently in hard copy in our
state Capitol. We request that our loved ones be treated like the victims they are. They
are the victims of the pharmaceutical industry and many others trading their lives for
greed. Now they are the victims of China, India and the Mexican drug cartels. Many of
these are the victims of a deadly condition called substance use disorder (SUD).
There is still so much judgment against those suffering with SUD. Please help us
overcome this. A group of parents from Idaho would love to meet with you and work
together to keep this from happening to other families.
Sincerely,
Teresa Palin, Bethanee Cook's mother
Pinehurst, Shoshone county, Idaho
1063