DESPITE THE PAIN, COAST FAMILIES ARE FIGHTING BACK

Two envelopes back-to-back in the stack of mail on the editor's desk
were linked by more than proximity.

The first, a letter to the editor from Gulfport resident Gordon Lewis,
poured out as much pain as handwritten words on lined paper could convey.

The worst nightmare of a father or mother became a reality for Lewis
and his family on Oct. 14, 2003, he wrote, when drugs took the life of
his son, Travis Steven Lewis.

"It hit me like a ton of bricks... .

I can't get over it, no matter what. I did everything that was
possible. I begged, pleaded, cried, told him I love him, tried to get
help, but the doctors kept giving them to him... . In the end, a
family was destroyed.

"To the sons and daughters who are on drugs, please, stop now. Please,
don't put your family through this nightmare. If you don't think that
it will happen to you, I promise that it will."

Travis Steven Lewis was one of at least 39 drug-related deaths in
Harrison County last year. The deeply felt pain of his parents and
family, his friends and others whose lives touched his was multiplied
at least 39 times, affecting the lives of thousands of people in a
single Mississippi county.

The second envelope held out hope for the unspoken question, "What can
parents and our community do?"

"We all are aware of the difficult events in Long Beach last year and
the ongoing problem of teens, drugs and drinking," wrote Donald Dana
of Long Beach. "My church is taking a pro-active role by sponsoring on
Jan. 17 a seminar, "Parenting - The Teenage Years."

The free, non-denominational seminar will be led by Dr. Richard Davis,
a Hattiesburg psychologist, from 9 a.m. until noon at the First
Baptist Church, Long Beach. Communication and talking about drugs are
key topics.

The seminar comes on the heels of a forum last week in Long Beach in
which a former Los Angeles Police detective opened many eyes to the
realities of illegal and prescription drugs that steal first the minds
and then the lives of many teens and young adults.

There is a great deal of pain in our community, but, clearly, there
also is great determination to fight back.

Be a part of the fight. Attend seminars; educate yourself. Let the
young people in your life know that you are not fighting them; you are
fighting for their lives.