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

Dear First Lady Ann Lamont,
I am a grieving mother who lost her youngest child, Ryan Moore. He made our lives
better. Ryan loved life, and all it offered. He was kind, forgiving, and made life better
for those around him. His laugh was infectious, and he saw the surrounding beauty
no matter what was going on for him. His hugs made you feel like being embraced
with complete, pure love. It was impossible to be anything but happy when he was
around. There was an energy about him that I still feel.
As a child, Ryan was inquisitive, sensitive, caring, and generous. He and his older
brother Dylan played baseball, soccer, ice hockey, and tennis together. They also
suffered their fair share of injuries when playing sports. They were prescribed
opioids frequently. Ryan's true passion was music. He was a talented drummer,
loved going to concerts and being in mosh pits. He and Dylan were in bands
together, Ryan on drums, his brother on bass guitar. Music was a release for him
throughout his life.
Ryan and I would spend a week together, at Gloucester, MA, where we enjoyed
hanging out on the beach, whale watching and eating at local seafood restaurants.
Cats were his constant companions. Ryan loved animals and was gentle and kind
to them all, his goal was to become a veterinarian. It devastated him when his cat,
Boo, passed away earlier the same year as he did. I know Boo was there to greet
Ryan.
His first job was at a Sonic restaurant. Though he was only 18, he was selected to
travel around the country training employees for new restaurants. More recently, he
loved learning his job as a cook at an Italian restaurant. Ryan was working, had a
new apartment, and was excited about decorating it and getting a weight bench so
he could do workouts his brother had shown him. Unfortunately, he passed before
that could happen.
Ryan's addiction affected the entire family. He lost family relationships and didn't
share when he was in active addiction. Trying to shield me from his substance use,
he would stay out of touch for months at a time. Like many parents, I knew little
about substance use disorder (SUD) at the time and I kept his addiction secret from
everyone. Now that I know more about SUD, I speak up about Ryan's addiction to
educate others.
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