PARENTS OFFER ADVICE AT SUBSTANCE ABUSE FORUM

Billerica, Mass. - May 15, 2004. That's the date that Carol
Digiantommaso's son, Michael J. Digiantommaso, lost his life to a drug
overdose.

He was only 23 years old.

Michael was a varsity sports captain and a respectable member of his
school community in North Reading, but many, like his mother, were did not
see what was really happening to him. He thought experimenting with drugs
wouldn't prove to be dangerous, but he was very wrong.

Michael had a strong passion for football and learning to be a leader.
It's hard to imagine that a person like Michael could fall into the
bottomless pit of drug abuse and addiction, but he did. He started trying
marijuana and alcohol. Experimenting with cocaine would come next, and his
addiction caused him to begin selling it. He would also use Oxycontin and
eventually sell that substance as well. This violent cycle soon became too
much for Michael's body to handle, however Carol wouldn't become aware of
this until it was too late.

Fighting back tears, Carol spoke at Town Hall at a forum held by the
Substance Abuse Prevention Committee on Tuesday, April 14, with the
five-year anniversary of her son's death looming in the back of her mind.
Since her son's death, she has traveled to several communities throughout
the area, educating parents on the preventable steps that can be taken to
prevent substance abuse from going too far.

Some advice she offered to parents who suspect that their children are
abusing drugs was to watch for a change in friends, study habits, grades,
appearance, or stealing and wearing long-sleeved shirts during the summer
months. Carol is not only fighting for her own family, but for all
families who are going through similar times that her family went through.

"If I can help just one parent, I'll be happy," said Carol.

Carol tried marijuana as a youth, but had no negative side effects. She
would go on to be a successful nurse and raise two children. But both of
her children would suffer from drug problems. One of her sons would go to
prison for abusing drugs. Michael's life continued to spiral out of
control as he began to lose his friends and was expelled from college. On
the day that Michael would lose his life, his brother found him in the
bathroom at his North Reading home lying unconscious. When his mother
returned home, his brother informed her of the tragic news, and Carol
yelled, "Call 911, it will be okay."

Things wouldn't be okay, though. Despite the fact it wasn't her fault,
Carol is just one of many parents that lose their children to drug
overdoses because they don't know how to help their children stop.

Besides Carol, several other speakers offered their advice to a packed
room of concerned parents. Principal of Billerica Memorial High School
Kevin Soraghan told parents that, with the adoption of the new School
Committee Policy, police dogs are now permitted to search lockers and
student cars on campus at the high school if substances are suspected to
be present. Sgt. Roy Frost of the Billerica Police informed audience
members that drug-testing kits are available for parents at the
department.

"Parental influence is the strongest thing out there and it starts at a
young age," Frost said.

The results of the 2007 survey conducted in grades 6-12 in Billerica were
also discussed. They revealed that most drug and alcohol use begins in the
middle school years. Everyone who attended the meeting was given a folder
containing information on nearly every known drug available along with
tips on how to stop drug abuse at an early stage and some key warning
signs for parents to watch for.