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Hailey Knoll’s Son
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
My name is Hailey Knoll. My precious son, Ethan Scott Knoll, passed away from fentanyl<br />
poisoning on March 21, 2023, at the age of 22.<br />
Ethan graduated from Holcomb High School in 2019 and went on to study welding at Garden<br />
City Community College. He enjoyed motocross, trapshooting, football, baseball, bowling,<br />
listening to music, the lake, hunting, fishing, family get-togethers, his many friends, and<br />
watching the Garden City Wind baseball team. He also enjoyed volunteering to take K9 bites<br />
to the Garden City Police K9 program.<br />
Ethan was an avid KU and Chiefs fan. He spent most of his weekends with his girlfriend,<br />
Autumn Wadley. Together, they enjoyed being with family, going out to eat, playing board<br />
games, cooking and dancing in the kitchen, watching movies with popcorn and staying up<br />
late like little kids.<br />
Ethan always had a smile on his face and had a contagious laugh. He was a strong advocate<br />
<strong>for</strong> the underdog and was always there <strong>for</strong> the people who needed him the most. He had a<br />
huge heart and took especially good care of his niece, Raeli, by spoiling her and learning to<br />
be the best uncle. He was also a beloved son, brother, and grandson.<br />
Ethan enjoyed working on the family farm, Knoll, Inc., after school. He was working at Pete’s<br />
Place in Dighton as a bartender, server, and cook at the time of his death. He made many<br />
friends working behind the bar at Pete’s and enjoyed every moment.<br />
His first use of pills occurred in 2018 as an occasional “party drug”. As the pills became<br />
harder <strong>for</strong> him to find, his dealers introduced him to heroin and then to fentanyl. His life of<br />
addiction began at the age of 19. Once he learned how deadly fentanyl was, he understood<br />
the need <strong>for</strong> recovery and worked hard toward that goal.<br />
The last five months of his life were his most successful. He had a job he loved, a girlfriend<br />
he loved, and a family he loved, all of whom loved him back. Un<strong>for</strong>tunately, Ethan found<br />
himself back with his dealers while out running errands. He had a fatal relapse that day.<br />
We are so proud of how hard he fought the addiction, and so shattered that his ef<strong>for</strong>ts weren’t<br />
enough in the end. Please help us honor those that were taken by fentanyl poisoning too<br />
soon. A Memorial Wall is a great way to do that.<br />
We will love and miss him <strong>for</strong>ever.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Hailey Knoll, Ethan’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 22<br />
Garden City, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Hazel Dornshuld’s Son
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
My name is Hazel Dornshuld. Last year on January 26, my 27-year-old son, Joseph, was<br />
murdered by his so-called friend who gave him fentanyl. My life is pure agony every day. I'm<br />
surprised that I've made it this long without Joey. I want to believe so bad that we see our<br />
loved ones when we die. I'm scared that Joey was in pain when he died. I've been told Joey<br />
did not feel pain. Most likely, he fell asleep, and he had no idea. My son did not overdose.<br />
Fentanyl was given to him without his knowledge.<br />
Joey moved into his own apartment. My son's friend called me and asked if I had heard from<br />
Joey that day. Long story short, I told him to go into his apartment and see if he was in there.<br />
Joey was on his couch with his headset on and his remote control <strong>for</strong> his video games in his<br />
hand dead.<br />
I have my son's phone. I saw and read everything he was doing the morning he died. His last<br />
text was be<strong>for</strong>e 9:00 a.m. Joey was dead in his apartment all day. I feel so guilty that I didn't<br />
call him that day. My heart is so broken, and I feel so much guilt. I want to thank you <strong>for</strong> being<br />
kind and having compassion <strong>for</strong> others.<br />
I miss him every day. My eyes, my heart, and my soul cry out every day. I know you're not<br />
God, nor do I think you have all the right answers, I just want to believe that we do see our<br />
loved ones when it's our time.<br />
Please help us honor our lost loved ones to fentanyl poisoning by putting up a Memorial Wall<br />
in our State Capitol complex.<br />
Thank you,<br />
Hazel Dornshuld – Joseph’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 27<br />
Wichita, <strong>Kansas</strong>
<strong>Kelly</strong> Garner’s Daughter
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
My name is <strong>Kelly</strong> Garner. I lost my precious baby girl, Desiree Monique Washington, on<br />
March 8, 2023. She was only 19 years old. She died from fentanyl poisoning.<br />
Desiree was Mommy’s baby girl and was always my cheerleader. She would light up any<br />
room she was in with glitter and bright colors. She was my everything and the one person<br />
I could share anything with. She was always full of joy and always looking out <strong>for</strong> her<br />
brothers, her sister, and myself. I will miss seeing her in my bathroom up on my sink doing<br />
her makeup. I will miss her picking out my clothes and shoes. She was my fashionista.<br />
Desiree had so many plans ahead of her. She wanted to attend nursing school. She<br />
would follow me around work wanting to learn how to draw blood and take someone’s<br />
blood pressure. She was so excited about helping others, but she never got the chance.<br />
Her life was cut short, all because she was given a pill by her friend. She thought it was<br />
Xanax, but it was fentanyl. One mistake cost my baby girl her life.<br />
My life will never be the same, nor will that of my other children. We lost a big piece of our<br />
hearts the day she left us.<br />
Please help us honor those that were taken by fentanyl poisoning too soon. A Memorial<br />
Wall is a great way to do that.<br />
Thank you,<br />
<strong>Kelly</strong> Garner – Desiree’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 19<br />
Leavenworth, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Lisa Brewer’s Son
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
My name is Lisa Brewer, and I am writing this letter on behalf of my son, Austin Gregory<br />
Adams.<br />
On July 14, 2020, my son purchased a pill believing it to be OxyContin. This pill changed<br />
our lives <strong>for</strong>ever. In the early morning of July 15, 2020, our son was found unresponsive<br />
by his girlfriend in our basement. He was gone. This deadly pill was pure fentanyl. He was<br />
poisoned.<br />
This tragic event happened in Finney County, <strong>Kansas</strong>, (Garden City). His unjustifiable<br />
death is one of thousands and thousands as a result of this Illicit Drug Epidemic our great<br />
state of <strong>Kansas</strong> is facing today.<br />
Austin was only 20 years old. He was a very caring, loving, young man. He was working<br />
towards earning his HVAC apprenticeship and beginning the adult stage of his life. He<br />
was to move into his first apartment with his girlfriend that very day. They were so excited<br />
to be beginning their lives together.<br />
Austin will never know the joys of being a husband or a father. We, his family, will never<br />
experience these joys either. He is so greatly missed by his family and friends. My son,<br />
along with all the other precious lives lost, did not ask to or deserve to die this way.<br />
I am writing this letter as a grieving mother and as a member of the <strong>Kansas</strong> Drug<br />
Epidemic Memorial Wall campaign. Our goal is to erect a Memorial Wall at our State<br />
Capitol complex in Topeka similar to the DEA Faces of Fentanyl Wall in Arlington, Virginia,<br />
to honor all lives lost in our state to illicit drugs.<br />
We are pleading <strong>for</strong> your assistance and support. I extend sincere gratitude <strong>for</strong> your time.<br />
Respectfully,<br />
Lisa Brewer – Austin’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 20<br />
Dodge City, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Margaret Massey’s Son
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
Hello, ma’am, my name is Margaret Massey. I am a blessed mother of four children. I am<br />
still speechless and very much in shock that I lost one of my children to this horrible drug,<br />
fentanyl. My son, Jordan, was 34 years old when he died. He was way too young to leave<br />
this earth.<br />
I miss him every day. I miss his laugh, his smile, his voice every single day.<br />
I think more awareness of this terrible drug needs to happen, and a Drug Epidemic<br />
Memorial Wall should be in every state.<br />
So many lives lost.<br />
Thank you <strong>for</strong> your help and your time.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Margaret Massey – Jordan’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 34<br />
Fayetteville, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Misty Griffith’s Daughter
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
Kebra Griffith was poisoned by illicit fentanyl disguised as a pressed Percocet pill on<br />
February 26, 2022. Kebra was an honor student and studied pre-med, but life threw her a<br />
curve in 2019 that led her down a destructive path <strong>for</strong> nine months. She fought hard and<br />
managed to overcome that. Un<strong>for</strong>tunately, she had a trigger while giving birth when she<br />
received fentanyl following a c-section in December 2021. She felt she would be labeled if<br />
she told them about her substance abuse in the past and suffering from postpartum, so<br />
she didn’t say anything.<br />
Un<strong>for</strong>tunately, she reached out to a friend who knew someone that sold her the fake pill<br />
that was pure fentanyl. She died in her room in my home leaving behind her two-monthold<br />
daughter.<br />
Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction. It is not an addict-only issue. It affects all walks<br />
of life and all ages. I was one of the parents that thought it would never happen to my<br />
child. Un<strong>for</strong>tunately, I was dead wrong.<br />
We need more education in schools and law en<strong>for</strong>cement. We also need to continue to<br />
bring awareness to this opioid crisis that is now being driven by fentanyl. Will you assist<br />
us in getting a Memorial Wall put up in our State Capitol complex?<br />
Thank you <strong>for</strong> your time.<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Misty Griffith – Kebra’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 28<br />
Baxter Springs, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Natasha Sizemore’s Brother
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
My name is Natasha Sizemore. My brother, Dale Loveless, passed away from fentanyl<br />
poisoning. He was only 26 years old.<br />
My brother had a messed-up childhood. He was adopted by a family in Lincoln, <strong>Kansas</strong> at<br />
11 years old. At the age of 14 he was a passenger in a car that was involved in a serious<br />
accident. They hit a concrete barrier at 70 miles an hour. One person died, and the other<br />
two were seriously injured, including my brother. He had bleeding on the brain, a broken<br />
back, broken leg, and a broken arm. He was on life support <strong>for</strong> a time but, thankfully,<br />
pulled through. It was a very long recovery. He was in the hospital <strong>for</strong> a month, followed<br />
by rehabilitation in Lincoln, Nebraska to relearn everything, including who he was.<br />
Upon his release, he went back to Lincoln, <strong>Kansas</strong> to his adoptive family, which resulted<br />
in further mental issues <strong>for</strong> him. They were not a nice family and did not treat him well.<br />
Throughout his trauma, he became addicted to prescription medication. When the doctors<br />
stopped prescribing it <strong>for</strong> him, he went to the streets <strong>for</strong> them. Sadly, he was given<br />
fentanyl disguised as a pain pill.<br />
My brother didn’t want to die.<br />
We must make a stand. There are too many kids dying from fentanyl poisoning. Please<br />
help us recognize our loved ones with a Memorial Wall.<br />
Thank you <strong>for</strong> your time and consideration.<br />
Natasha Sizemore – Dale’s sister; <strong>for</strong>ever 26<br />
Wichita, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Rhonda Kemp’s Mom
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
I lost my daughter, Lacy, to an opioid overdose in August of 2014. She was my only<br />
daughter and my best friend.<br />
Lacy first used opioid pain pills when she was only seventeen and had undergone two<br />
knee surgeries. In her mid-20s she battled addiction and that inherent physiological draw<br />
that many contend with. She knew moments of peace but many more where her body<br />
craved what would ultimately end her short time on earth.<br />
Lacy battled this horrible disease alone and in shame, mostly because her family,<br />
including me, were ignorant of how to help her. Pain killers and other drugs alter a<br />
person's brain chemistry. Many times, I felt like I was talking to another person, not to my<br />
daughter.<br />
Be<strong>for</strong>e Lacy's death, she was clean <strong>for</strong> several months and was feeling hopeful. She was<br />
even talking about a rehabilitation group. Un<strong>for</strong>tunately, a visit to the ER <strong>for</strong> kidney stones<br />
and a hasty release, thereafter, left her with pain pills and a new prescription of Klonopin<br />
to sleep.<br />
That mixture took her life. She was just 30 years old.<br />
She was a bright and talented woman, so full of love and compassion <strong>for</strong> other people.<br />
She brought so much joy to everyone that she met, and she lived her life vivaciously.<br />
Whenever she was around, she made people laugh and feel good. She deserved so<br />
much more than she got from this life… all caused by this horrible opioid crisis.<br />
I will always try to make her short life count by helping others who are struggling with the<br />
same brain disorder we call addiction. Will you assist us in getting a Memorial Wall put up<br />
in our State Capitol complex?<br />
A grieving mother,<br />
Rhonda Kemp – Lacy’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 30<br />
Derby, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Stacey Rogers’ Son
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
My name is Stacey Rogers. I am a member of the <strong>Kansas</strong> Drug Epidemic Memorial Wall<br />
campaign. Our goal is to have a Memorial Wall put up in all 50 State Capitol complexes to<br />
honor our loved ones lost to this drug crisis in our Nation.<br />
I found my oldest son’s lifeless body on October 18, 2022. The cause of death was<br />
fentanyl intoxication. He didn’t want to die. Richard was only 39 years old. He was a<br />
loving son, father, brother, and friend.<br />
Richard was a talented drummer, and an adventurous soul. We miss his unique sense of<br />
humor and love of music. My life has been <strong>for</strong>ever changed by the loss of my son.<br />
Please help us honor our loved ones lost to fentanyl, and other drugs, in <strong>Kansas</strong> by<br />
helping us with our Memorial Wall.<br />
Thank you <strong>for</strong> your consideration,<br />
Stacey Rogers – Richard’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 39<br />
Wamego, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Susan Flack’s Son
Dear <strong>Governor</strong> Laura <strong>Kelly</strong>,<br />
My name is Susan Flack. I am currently living the saddest path I could ever have<br />
imagined. I lost my son, Matthew, to fentanyl poisoning on May 14, 2022, a day so deeply<br />
engrained in my memory. Matthew was my first-born son. He was full of fun, life, and love.<br />
He was a sports fanatic. He was a college graduate. He was a wonderful big brother to his<br />
three brothers and a loving father to his two small children.<br />
Matt battled addiction <strong>for</strong> several years. He tried so hard to overcome his addiction. He<br />
had been clean <strong>for</strong> 18 months and verbally proclaimed that he could never relapse as he<br />
knew too well all the fentanyl-laced drugs that have made their way into our country, state,<br />
city, and neighborhoods.<br />
We were all so proud of Matt <strong>for</strong> staying on the path and becoming the father he wanted<br />
to be to his two children, Taylor, 11, and Hunter, seven. Matt’s life was falling into place.<br />
He was working with his best friend and brother, being a father, going fishing, playing<br />
baseball, and going on dates with his daughter. He was simply doing great.<br />
Early on Saturday morning, May 14, 2022, that horrible call came in. Matt would not<br />
answer his bedroom door which was locked. I knew immediately it had happened. He<br />
slipped. He was searching <strong>for</strong> that good old “high”, but instead got fentanyl, and it took his<br />
last breath. It took him. It took my son, their brother, their father, their nephew, their<br />
grandson, and their friend. Fentanyl had taken him.<br />
I remember the last time I hugged Matt. He was smiling. He was happy. He said, “I love<br />
you, Mama”. This opioid and fentanyl crisis is profound, devastating, and so tremendously<br />
unfair to the American family.<br />
I ask you, in the memory of so many wonderful children, parents, brothers and sisters, to<br />
help us keep our loved ones’ memories alive by supporting a Memorial Wall with the<br />
names and faces of those lost to drugs in <strong>Kansas</strong>. A Memorial Wall will help us keep this<br />
crisis at the <strong>for</strong>efront <strong>for</strong> our lawmakers to help us all overcome this epidemic of death by<br />
fentanyl.<br />
A grieving mother,<br />
Susan Flack – Matt’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 37<br />
Shawnee, <strong>Kansas</strong>
Banner to follow
<strong>Kansas</strong> Photo Scrolling Wall:<br />
ks.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
National Teen Scrolling Wall Of Photos:<br />
https://wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org/photos/teens<br />
National Scrolling Wall Of Photos:<br />
https://wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org/photos<br />
National Scrolling Wall Of Names:<br />
https://wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org/
Awareness<br />
Campaigns<br />
School And Community Prevention Tools<br />
I AM A FORCE FOR CHANGE - SCHOOL/COMMUNITY<br />
PREVENTION TOOLS<br />
Manual For Advocates<br />
I AM A FORCE CHNAGE- PREVENTION MANUAL FOR ADVOCATES<br />
Please feel free to share <strong>for</strong> awareness, prevention and memorials.<br />
To be included on the Memorial Walls go to:<br />
wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org
Direct State links <strong>for</strong> slideshows<br />
Alabama<br />
Alaska<br />
Arizona<br />
Arkansas<br />
Cali<strong>for</strong>nia<br />
Colorado<br />
Connecticut<br />
Delaware<br />
Florida<br />
Georgia<br />
Hawaii<br />
Idaho<br />
Illinois<br />
Indiana<br />
Iowa<br />
<strong>Kansas</strong><br />
Kentucky<br />
Louisiana<br />
Maine<br />
Maryland<br />
Massachusetts<br />
Michigan<br />
Minnesota<br />
Mississippi<br />
Missouri<br />
al.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ak.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
az.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ar.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ca.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
co.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ct.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
de.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
fl.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ga.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
hi.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
id.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
il.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
in.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ia.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ks.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ky.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
la.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
me.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
md.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ma.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
mi.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
mn.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
ms.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
mo.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Montana mt.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Nebraska ne.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Nevada nv.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
New Hampshire nh.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
New Jersey nj.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
New Mexico nm.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
New York ny.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
North Carolina nc.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
North Dakota nd.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Ohio<br />
oh.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Oklahoma ok.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Oregon or.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Pennsylvania pa.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Puerto Rico pr.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Rhode Island ri.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
South Carolina sc.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
South Dakota sd.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Tennessee tn.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Texas<br />
tx.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Utah<br />
ut.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Vermont vt.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Virginia va.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Washington wa.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
West Virginia wv.drugepidemicmemorial.org<br />
Wisconsin wi.drugepidemicmemorial.org