I'm often asked how I survived the pain and sadness of losing my son to addiction. When his addiction to heroin was discovered in 1999, I knew nothing about drugs. I had a lot to learn. When he passed away in 2014 after years of active addiction, jail terms, failed treatments, illness, and relapse, I didn’t think I would survive, but I did … with time, patience, and working through the difficult grieving process, which I talk about in the book as a two-fold process for parents of addicts. I started writing "The Last Stop" to help other parents like me who are struggling to understand how addiction has turned their loved one into a stranger, and how they can help them. I live in Virginia with my husband and pup, Benji. In 2021, I was blessed with a beautiful grandson.