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

Dear Governor Laura Kelly,
I lost my daughter, Lacy, to an opioid overdose in August of 2014. She was my only
daughter and my best friend.
Lacy first used opioid pain pills when she was only seventeen and had undergone two
knee surgeries. In her mid-20s she battled addiction and that inherent physiological draw
that many contend with. She knew moments of peace but many more where her body
craved what would ultimately end her short time on earth.
Lacy battled this horrible disease alone and in shame, mostly because her family,
including me, were ignorant of how to help her. Pain killers and other drugs alter a
person's brain chemistry. Many times, I felt like I was talking to another person, not to my
daughter.
Before Lacy's death, she was clean for several months and was feeling hopeful. She was
even talking about a rehabilitation group. Unfortunately, a visit to the ER for kidney stones
and a hasty release, thereafter, left her with pain pills and a new prescription of Klonopin
to sleep.
That mixture took her life. She was just 30 years old.
She was a bright and talented woman, so full of love and compassion for other people.
She brought so much joy to everyone that she met, and she lived her life vivaciously.
Whenever she was around, she made people laugh and feel good. She deserved so
much more than she got from this life… all caused by this horrible opioid crisis.
I will always try to make her short life count by helping others who are struggling with the
same brain disorder we call addiction. Will you assist us in getting a Memorial Wall put up
in our State Capitol complex?
A grieving mother,
Rhonda Kemp – Lacy’s mom; forever 30
Derby, Kansas