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

Dear Mrs. Walz
My name is Gina Erickson and I lost my youngest and only son Cody Stark to fentanyl
poisoning on December 12, 2021. Cody was my youngest out of three beautiful children. He
was a silly, goofy kid and liked to make everyone laugh. The older he got the more reserved he
got but if you were lucky, he’d show his goofy side. He grew up around his sisters,
stepbrothers, stepsister, and shared a close relationship with his cousins. While in high school
he loved to play football, baseball and even wrestling. On his down time when he wasn’t at
work cooking, he loved to play basketball, fish, drive around listening to music and sit by the
lake and admire the beautiful view. Cody was also an amazing artist.
The night Cody passed away has affected many family members and friends. I now have to
figure out how to live my life without my son alongside his sisters, step siblings, three nieces,
and four nephews. Cody had many goals and dreams that he still needed to achieve and
adventures he still needed to explore. He never got the chance to get married or have children
because that was taken away from him and us due to fentanyl.
Many people are losing their lives to something dangerous and scary. Many think that this will
never happen to them or their children, but fentanyl doesn’t discriminate. It could be anyone
and it could be anyone’s child. I know you are an advocate for education at all levels and
specifically in the prison system. Therefore, I’m hopeful as a mother to two adult children you
will understand the urgency I and countless other mothers in Minnesota feel towards ending
this fentanyl epidemic and educating our children of the dangers of fentanyl. Would you please
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 my
son Cody’s frame, below. 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 the Chinese criminal networks and the Mexican Cartels. We are using
the word “drugism” for the prejudice toward drug users. Minnesota moms would love to meet
with you and work together to prevent this from happening ever again.
Sincerely,
Gina Erickson, mother of Cody Stark F20
Onamia, MN
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