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

Dear First Lady Fran DeWine,
I am an ambassador for the Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall. I lost my younger brother,
Jack, on June 10, 2021, at the age of forever 34. Jack died of a heroin overdose and
Fentanyl poisoning. His death was a complete shock to his 11-year-old son, 9 year old
nephew, siblings, an entire neighborhood of friends, as well as me. We mourn his daily
presence in our lives.
Jack was an intelligent man. He was as smart as ever and would overcome any challenge
life threw at him. He made his big sister proud every single day. He was charismatic, kind,
selfless, a fisherman, silly, helper, father, son, brother. I miss his laugh, his knowledge, his
smile. He was Dad to Braylon (now 13), but 11 when his dad passed. His death created a
loss for our family that is indescribable. It has been 2 years and he is still missed and
loved beyond words. There are no descriptors for the loss his brothers, sisters, nieces,
nephews, aunts, uncles and child are experiencing. The grief at times is unspeakable,
unbearable, and unstoppable. In 2021, Ohio lost just over 5,000 lives to this epidemic and
I am committed to ending these losses and honoring my brother and the other children’s
lives and memories.
I know you are an Advocate for Social & Emotional Learning & Mental Health of children.
Our children need to know the dangers presented to them daily around this epidemic. We
need to address the grieving of all these families. I’m hopeful as a sister who practically
raised her brother in a hellish household, you will understand the urgency I and countless
other sisters in Ohio feel towards ending this epidemic, educating our children, &
addressing the mental health of substance users as well as those in grief.
Would you 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 & one with
names. I am including Jack’s frame, below.
These digital walls and albums update automatically. We would also like the photos
displayed in hard copy format. The wall of names can be projected on a wall so families
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 many, many others.
Now, they are victims of the Chinese criminal networks and the Mexican Cartels. We are
using the word “drugism” for the prejudice toward drug users.
Ohio families would love to meet with you & work to prevent this from happening ever
again.
Sincerely,
Nicole Haas, sister of Jack Zager, F34
Akron, Ohio