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

Dear First Lady Holcomb,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. In just seven short days on July
5th, my family will be struggling through the second year of the loss of my one and only
grandson, James “J.” Carter, due to the illicit drug, fentanyl. He was found by his grandfather,
whom he was named after and an uncle after not answering multiple phone calls and texts at
the young age of 26 years old. “J” left behind his mother, his nine-year-old little sister, and his
cat, Loki.
“J” was always a caring, kindhearted, fun-loving young man. His pappaw is disabled, and “J”
would spend a great part of each day with him so that I could continue to work. The grief at
times is unspeakable, unbearable, and unstoppable, and has really taken a huge toll on the
both of us. It has left me now unable to work due to depression and anxiety issues. Every day
is a struggle to want to live, as no grandparent should ever outlive their grandchildren.
My grandson was one of those that began his mental health journey with a misdiagnosis of
ADHD and was placed on Ritalin. He once stated that he felt that his struggle with substance
use began at the age of 9 when doctors and the school corporation taught him that, in order
to be a “good kid,” he would need to take a pill daily. That statement to me was eye opening
and heartbreaking.
I’m hopeful as a mother and grandmother you will understand the urgency that I, and
countless other mothers in Indiana feel towards ending this epidemic, educating our children,
stopping the stigma, 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 our “J’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 victims. They were all victims of Purdue Pharma (an American cartel) and many
others. Now, they are victims of the Chinese criminal networks and the Mexican Cartels. We
are using the word “drugism” for the prejudice toward drug users.
A group of our Indiana moms would love to meet with you and work together to prevent this
from happening ever again.
Sincerely,
Jean Carter, grandmother of James “J” Carter, Forever 26
Booneville, IN
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