In June 2022 I had the pleasure of meeting Representative Jim Banks from Indiana and had a moment to share our story with him. Representative Banks asked if I would be willing to come to Washington DC to speak on the illicit fentanyl crisis in the US and as you can expect, I agreed wholeheartedly. Days later I received a call from Jessica at Rep. Banks office, and we were off and running to planning a trip to the Capitol.

During our September 2022 trip we attended a luncheon of the Republican Study Committee, toured the Capitol, and gathered for a roundtable meeting with several US Congress men and women.

With Dean and I on our trip was DJ’s friend Levi Jones. While there we met up with the North Carolina group we are working with, Barb Walsh, Patricia Drewes and Wendy Thomas. These are some of the most amazing people. While we have all faced the loss of a son, daughter and friend we have come together to keep their memories alive and to help bring justice to them and the thousands of others who have been poisoned by illicit fentanyl. It is my great honor to call them all friends and champions of something none of us wants to face but must.

At the roundtable meeting many of us shared our stories, and our requests for assistance from the federal government in stopping the trafficking of illicit drugs into our country and our backyards. Our families want justice and action from the country’s leaders.

If you have lost someone to fentanyl poisoning, please contact us to join us in our efforts to raise awareness. There is much to do, and we need people and financial support to make illicit fentanyl obsolete in our country.