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Saving Kathryn's life

A dear friend of mine is probably going to die. Her name is Kathryn. 

At age 8, she attempted suicide. She didn't get the help she needed then. 

At age 13, she was raped. She didn't get the help she needed then. She's attempted suicide several times.

Now, at the age of 33, she is addicted to opiates and benzodiazepines. Self-medication.

Her goal is to successfully overdose with the right optics. She puts makeup on at bedtime in case she dies in the night.

She has told me that her drug use is suicidal, and I've had the good sense to record the audio. Sadly, this isn't enough to get an emergency response professional to do a 72-hour hold.

My goal is to prevent her suicide.  To let her become a mother to her 3-year-old son again.  To let her have a normal life free from addiction and psychological pain.

She has entrusted and empowered me to act on her behalf as her Power of Attorney for both Healthcare and under the Ohio UPOAA. 

She has been in-patient 4 times since Valentine's Day and has been incarcerated once. She's relapsed after every attempt.

I'm currently working on two legal mechanisms to try to get her help (guardianship and Casey's Law).

Guardianship was originally suggested to me by one of her defense lawyers.  Her care teams at places she's been for treatment agree that this is the best way to save her life.

Both legal approaches were expensive to start and have had many unpredicted costs thus far. One of the options requires me personally paying the costs of years of treatment.  This is something I'm very willing to do.  She's worth it.

There have been times, however, when, no matter how much personal spending I've eliminated, I've had to delay something until my next paycheck.  The statistics on beating addiction are horrifying. Delay worsens the odds. I'd be grateful for your help.

The funds will be spent on the legal process and subsequently her medical needs. Every dollar given to this fund will eventually be paid forward by me to help someone else do what I'm attempting. My hope is that we're successful here and that the "pay it forward" part is not being done as a memorial to a dear loved one.

If guardianship sounds heavy, it's because it is. After much consultation with legal and medical professionals, I have become persuaded that the short-term fix of the simple cookie-cutter voluntary detox programs is NOT enough.  Indeed, it was members of her legal teams and her previous treatment teams that persuaded me to take this step. 

Kathryn needs YEARS of support and protection to recover.  Her problems are much deeper than simple addiction.

Guardianship protects her and lets her get well.  [My understanding is that it is an option available to all next of kin and  Agents; so, if you are in a similar situation with a loved one, call a lawyer and check into this].

Guardianship, as I understand it, will allow for someone [me in this case] to clean up her financial and criminal/ legal problems while she focuses on getting well.

Once she is healthy, however long that takes, the guardianship can end.

Most importantly, she's the patient and will be driving the treatment process with the help of someone who is championing her best interest with a team of outside experts reviewing and advising.  She'll get not only detox and chemical dependency help. She'll also get the mental health help that she desperately needs. She won't get dismissed as a "drug seeking" addict when she complains about her treatment protocol (as has happened) or over-medicated to the point that she is incomprehensible (as has also happened) -- she'll get what she needs to get well as quickly as she is able.

Why me? Because NO ONE else has thought to do this.  It's been an option for others for years.

I will do my best to help her heal fully.

Thank you for helping to save my friend -- she's worth it!

Organizer

C.J. Anderson
Organizer
Cuyahoga Falls, OH

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