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

Dear First Lady Sharon Landry,
I am the father of an only child, my son Kyle, who lost his life to fentanyl poisoning on
11/23/2020. He was supposedly drug free for five months at the time of demise. Even with
his phone blocked, drug dealers still managed to harass him and get through with calls to
tempt him. He broke down and thought he was getting another drug. However,
unbeknownst to him, the purchase was pure fentanyl, and we found his lifeless body in his
bathroom on that horrible night.
The drug dealers are the murderers despite what society may believe. My son did not want
to be a person with substance use disorder. However, he made a poor choice in college
ten years prior to his death. Kyle attended LSU on a partial grant with a GPA of 3.8. His
future was promising. He wanted to be a demolition engineer. Once he partook in just one
illicit pill, his life was a downward spiral of life altering events. During this time, we never
gave up hope for recovery, but recovery was not to be. The addiction was too strong, and
he moved on to harsher drugs which ultimately led to his demise.
My son was a fun-loving, caring individual who helped anyone he could, regardless of race
or background. He loved all animals and did what he could to try to save them. He usually
went way out of his way to help people. He figured that if he was suffering constantly, no
one else should. In my grief, I am asking that you assist us in finding a permanent home
for our drug memorial wall within our capital. The victims of substance use disorder need to
be honored and memorialized and not stigmatized. Officials stopped these victims from
getting opioids. Abrupt discontinuance is an invitation for untimely death. All people matter,
regardless of the illness. Free or affordable recovery options are the answer for our state,
but that is a campaign for another time.
I thank you in advance for taking the time to acknowledge my letter and I pray for this illicit
drug poisoning to stop. Any family can be affected at any time and most of the time, the
outcome is devastating. I pray that we, as a society, produce answers.
Respectfully,
Daniel Vicknair
Kyle’s dad, forever 29
St. John the Baptist Parish, LaPlace, LA
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/67297865/links-to-virtual-memorial-wallsalbums-and-awareness-campaign
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