Archive for year: 2014

Submitted by: Suzanne Coutu – Mom
Born: 1985
Died: 2014
My Tribute: Kristen was my only child, beautiful and wise. She was a “force to be reckoned with” and had a spirit that could fill a room. She made me laugh like no one could and never failed to tell me how much she loved me. We were bonded in ways most parents and kids don’t get to experience. But, as she wrote in a letter, ” she met her match, and it was heroin. ” it stole my beloved and special child from me. I will love and miss her every second of every day!

Submitted by: Patty DiRenzo
Born: 1984
Died: 2010
My Tribute: Sal was born on April 11, 1984, two months premature. As my sister-in-law stated after his passing “he came into this world early and left early.” Sal was an absolute beautiful child with a heart of gold. Sal was truly an old soul.” He was kind and sweet and cared so much about everyone. If you met Sal once, you were his friend forever. These next few words are borrowed from Sal’s brother Vincent. “There were so many layers to Sal. At his very core, he was fiercely loyal, loving, sensitive, and moral. To coax a real smile from Sal was the greatest victory, but how beautiful it was!! Sal touched so many people during his life. Anybody who had met Sal knew that you couldn’t do anything but love him”.
Sal struggled with addiction through his high school years – he was embarrassed of his disease. From the time he was 18 years old he tried to get treatment and was in and out of rehab facilities never getting the proper treatment because he was never afforded any more than 11 days at a time – We always struggled with insurance trying to get approvals, never enough funding and/or beds to take him. He wanted help desperately but sadly never received the help he needed and deserved. In June of 2010 he was, for the first time approved under state funding for treatment. We were all so hopeful and happy because this was he first time he was able to get approved and we all believed this was a gift and Sal was on the road to recovery. 11 days later, we received a call that his funding had ran out and he was being released – his release papers were clearly marked “high risk for relapse” – but they still released him. We called every treatment center in the area to get him into another place, no one would take him – we lost Sal on September 23, 2010 from an accidental overdose. Sal was not alone when he died, but the person using with him left him alone to die -without calling for help – my son was left to die. As mentioned earlier, to get a smile out of Sal was not easy – but when he did smile it was beautiful and the one thing that made him smile was his son – Salvatore. Seeing him look at his son with pride in his eyes was amazing. His son was 18 months old when Sal passed. I miss everything about Sal. He had a quiet, beautiful presence, he was thoughtful and kind. Sal never went to bed without coming into my room to say good night and tell me that he loved me. I miss him popping his head in my bedroom to say I love you – good night. I just miss him being him and giving me his quirky smile – it was truly priceless. Sal and his sister Blake would sit on the back deck just about every night and talk – I miss looking out the back door and seeing them sitting together talking. Sal is forever missed and loved.

Submitted by: Kim Brown – Derek’s Mom
Born: 1992
Died: 2014
My Tribute: Derek was only 22 years young when he heroin overdosed on June 13th of this year. Derek was an educated, kindhearted, fun loving, adventurous young man with a great sense of humor and a love for life.

Derek’s heroin addiction was over the last 2 years, and a longer history for alcohol and some other drugs. After a motorcycle accident in 2012, he would first turn to pills and later it would escalate to his drug of choice.

Rehabs, courts, correctional treatment facilities all became a way of life for our family. The struggles and battles of one facility to the next and then relapse after relapse was just our new normal. Our lives were inside out and outside in and we unfortunately were always waiting for the next time.

Our lives will never be the same without him to make us laugh, to make a funny face at the camera, to do some silly thing that you weren’t expecting, to teach us to kind, and love one another. His dimpled grin and shining personality will be missed here, but I know that he is now at peace and no longer struggling.

I love you to the moon & back and miss you even more than that!

Mom

Submitted by: Sonia Annette Alonzo
Born: 1989
Died: 2014
My Tribute: Annette was an amazing child and accomplished everything she put her mind to. Annette loved her family more than words could ever say.

Annette lit up the room with her stunning smile. Joey’s daddy said, “She had a radiant aura.”

Annette loved her son Joey (Bug) (Jo-Jo) with all her heart and soul. At Christmas time she gave Joey a book. Here are a few words from her, “Even when we are apart–I hold you deep within my heart.” She had a fascinating gift as a writer and had the ability to take others words and make them sound poetic. All who knew her loved her exquisite sense of style.

To our gorgeous little sissy, our love for you is so strong it will never fade. We love you, Net Net, and will forever be missing you. Crystal, Jesse and Tim