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

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
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