Deidre Barnes has spent over twenty years fighting alongside her daughter in the battle against addiction. While visiting me in Florida, Deidre received the devastating call that her daughter was in the hospital, on a ventilator and life support. The details were scarce at first, but we soon learned that her daughter had been left unresponsive in an apartment for two days, while others continued to use drugs around her. It wasn’t until the third day that someone called the police, who performed CPR, but her brain had been without oxygen for too long. Now, she is at Trinity Hospital in Steubenville, Ohio, being kept alive by machines until her organs can be donated to save others’ lives.

Deidre’s hope was that some of the burial costs might be covered by the transplant process, but that hasn’t been possible. Living on a fixed income in a rent-controlled apartment, Deidre has no extra funds to bury her child. She isn’t asking for a memorial service—just enough to cover cremation, an urn, and memorial necklaces for her daughter’s five children, so they can each hold onto a piece of their mom.

This is especially personal for me. I battled addiction for many years, and I’ve now been in recovery for four years—thanks in large part to Deidre, who helped save my life and brought me into recovery. This could have been me, or anyone struggling with addiction. No one deserves to lose their child this way. If you can help Deidre honor her daughter’s memory and support her family, we would be deeply grateful for your kindness.

Update Angel passed at around 6 am this morning 12/6. She lived longer than her organs were viable. Any help you can offer D and Angels children during this already devastatingly hard time will be greatly appreciated even if it's just sharing this post