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

Dear Governor Kathy Hochul:
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Walls. I lost my beautiful son,
Connor Scanlan, to fentanyl poisoning. He is forever 22. He was in active recovery and
was under the care of an addiction doctor who prescribed suboxone for him. I don’t know
what triggered him that night, but in the early hours of May 28, 2021, I found him
unconscious on the bathroom floor. EMS came right away and administered Narcan.
They were able to retrieve a pulse, but by the time they reached the hospital, it was too
late.
Connor was kind and compassionate and musically gifted. He was the youngest in his
group of friends, but they all looked up to him. He loved working in construction, and he
loved playing his drums. He had a double drum set in his bedroom, and when he played,
the sound would vibrate through my whole body. It was loud, but I didn’t mind because I
knew where he was, I knew he was sober, and I knew he was happy. I still have his
drums, but they sit in silence. We are all devastated by his loss.
As you know, this drug epidemic has taken thousands of lives, and fentanyl has added a
whole new dimension to the problem. We have created two memorial walls of our loved
ones, one with photos and one with names. I am including Connor’s frame in addition to
the brochure of virtual memorial walls, albums, and our awareness campaign. These
digital walls and albums update automatically. Would you assist us in finding a permanent
location for a Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall within our Capitol?
The purpose of this wall is not only to memorialize our loved ones, but to bring awareness
to the disease of addiction. We need to remove the stigma of drug addiction and provide
better care for people in recovery. If a person is being treated for lung cancer but still
smokes, he isn’t told that he brought it on himself. He is still treated for cancer and
treated with respect despite his nicotine addiction, most likely because the insurance
companies will pay for treatment of a “respectable” addiction. A person who is brought to
the hospital in withdrawal from drugs or who is overdosing is minimally cared for and then
discharged as soon as possible back onto the streets. There is a sober house in my town
that costs $10,000 a month. The struggle is real, both psychologically and financially, for
those who are trying to recover.
We have lost too many people to this drug epidemic. The amount of drug
overdoses/fentanyl poisonings is increasing by the day. It is time to face this crisis head
on. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Karen Renda
Yorktown Heights, NY
647