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

Dear First Lady Teresa Parson,
I would like to start off this letter by saying thank you for the work you have done,
especially for the children of Missouri. You never know the impact something has on
someone, or if it will alter their path of life. It’s why we should always choose kindness,
choose love, and fight for what we believe in.
I believe in Kyle Wetzel. Age 25. Forever. I believe that he was good, funny, smart,
creative and kind. Kyle is the father of my two sons, Elliot and Everett, ages five and two.
My boys lost their dad October 5, 2022, to fentanyl poisoning. It was one of the most
devastating days of our lives. To think, not only of Kyle losing his life, but of my children
having to grow up without fully knowing him is devastating. Nothing can replace the love
he had for them and the joy he brought into their lives.
Ky was also my first love. I married him about a month after meeting him. He had this light
that just poured out of him, and everything he did made you smile. Kyle wasn’t someone
you could forget easily. He made an impression on anyone he came across. He is
someone that could easily talk or listen for hours about anything.
He was an amazing father and husband, as many victims of fentanyl were in their true
form. They were also siblings, mothers, fathers, children, friends, and so much more.
These people deserve more than to just be a statistic.
What we would like to ask from you is to help finding a permanent location for a Drug
Epidemic Memorial Wall within our State Capitol complex. The wall would not only be for
the victims, but it would also be for those left behind in grief, and for the children and
parents to know they aren’t alone in this battle, but that their loved ones are being
recognized as victims to this fentanyl epidemic, rather than just their addictions. It would
be for those still struggling with addiction to see so many beautiful souls gone too soon.
The fallen could be the turning point they need to heal. It would be for the passerby
looking at the names and registering that change needs to be made and they could be a
part of it.
People all over this country have stories just like ours, and it’s heartbreaking. Fentanyl
won’t stop killing until it doesn’t exist. Raising awareness is not the solution, but we must
start somewhere, and we can’t do it alone.
Thank you,
Molly Burroughs – Kyle’s children’s mother; forever 25
Ashland, Missouri 584