FAMILY'S LOSS OF LOVED ONE TO DRUGS BRINGS SUFFERING MOST CAN ONLY IMAGINE

I never knew Adam Disler even though I lived a stones throw from his
McClean Street home in Wilkes Barre. Today, I rang the doorbell not knowing
what compelled me to pull over, park the car and walk to the porch, on my
way to work.

I never noticed the neatly painted gingerbread-style home even though I
drove by many times. Today, I noticed. I noticed because Adam had died of a
drug overdose and his parents were grieving.

They had consented to a newspaper interview that was published the day
before. I had seen the obituary of a young man weeks earlier, noticed he
had lived around the corner from me. The mention that memorial donations
could be made to Clear Brook Lodge hinted at the cause of his death at 19.

I rang the bell, not knowing what I was going to say, should someone open
the door. Kathy, Adam's mother, greeted me. I told her I was sorry about
her son's death and that I did not understand it. "Nor do we," she responded.

As I drove on to work I hoped my actions did not upset or offend them nor
intrude on their grief. Why did I stop? I have extended my condolences to
neighbors before! Those I knew by name and sight. Not this time though, I
did not know the Disler family.

I cannot pretend to understand their grief or disbelief that this happened
to their beloved son, that their son was never walking through the door,
sharing a family meal or vacation because of drugs. We have all experienced
or will experience the loss that comes with death of a loved one. Not
everyone will experience that loss due to drug addiction.

We can only imagine the nightmare of watching your child, spouse, parent,
friend or sibling drift further away into the abyss of drug and alcohol
addiction and to be powerless to change it, to stop it, to bring them home.

Melana Khalife

Wilkes-Barre