Danielle cherished family, friends and life. She had her whole life planned
out; her husband, number of kids, two dogs and would be a dermatologist, a career
where she could help others but have time for her family.
Christi had just enrolled in college. She just began taking First Baptist Church
shuttles downtown every Thursday to befriend the homeless. Just chit chatting
with them and letting them know they had a friend. In her journals, she was
determined to turn her life around and she started by helping others. She volunteered
often for the M.U.S.T. Ministries to help set up their clothing shop for the
homeless and the children's center. She helped cooked their meals. She helped
do their laundry. She wanted to go into a field helping others. She would have
changed at least one person's life, for the better, when they thought there
was no more hope. She didn't show up last Thursday. She died.
In the months before she was killed, 21-year-old Anke Furber had been acting
scared and she seemed to know she was in danger. Several days after Furber's
charred remains were discovered in a small vineyard in Norcross, Anke's mom,
Ria, found a note in Anke's desk at home in Marietta. In it, Anke seemed to
foreshadow her own death. She wrote, "My parents would surely grieve the loss
of their wonderful daughter whose craziness would soon lead to her slaughter".
Ria isnt sure exactly when the note was written, but believes it was written
in a close time frame to the actual murder.
At 22 years old, Levi had goals and ambitions of being a business owner, a husband
and a father. He loved his family and friends with everything in him and would
do anything for you. His shyness and manners we're a shining attribute to who
he was. Unfortunately, Levi befriended someone who for nearly three years took
advantage of his kindness and when asked to leave his home, he killed him. If
he would have just walked out the door as asked, Levi would still be here today.
We'll never know all the wonderful things that Levi would have accomplished,
but we know he was a "Friend" till the end.
Ephraim was 21 yrs old when he prematurely transitioned to the other side. He
was a very warm hearted young man. And was always available to help friends
and family. As his cousin Ben said about him: "You can lay a 1,000. on the table
and know completely that Ephraim would have never taken it". He spent most of
his days at Antique World in Clarence , NY which was owned and operated by his
Uncle. That was my sons world. A world he will no longer be able to participate
in. He is sorely missed by his family and friends.
Mark suffered a brain injury at the age of 19 the night of a high school prom.
Mark died at the age of 25. Life was hard for Mark, he lived an aphasic life.
Mark struggled to relearn his alphabet and to speak again. Neuro rehab, drug
rehab, jails, institutions and death. Mark was disabled and a fighter all at
the same time. College, heavy equipment operator, volunteering were all part
of these six years. Mark loved kids and wished he had one. Due to the selfish
reasoning of his so called friends, Mark will never be able to achieve his dreams
that he fought so hard for. Mark's struggle is over !! PEACE..........
His friends describe him as a kind, warm hearted, full of energy, always smiling,
and a very silly young man. They also said that whenever Sean walked into a
room that he had the ability lighting up the room because he was full of life
and energy! He loved his dad, his mom, and his sister very much. He had a very
special bond with his great grandma Efford and his great aunt Charlene whom
also up in heaven with him. A warm hug from Sean was just another way that he
showed his affection to his family and friends
When Cayte was in the middle school she was on the track team, she was a cheerleader
for the Nor-Roc Vikings, she was on a soccer team, and she loved attending the
dances at the Sad Cafe. When she went to high school, all of those activities
stopped. The sad reason was because she was too old. All the kids have, once
they reach high school, are the woods and the homes of friends when the parents
are at work. If she had activities to do after school when she went to high
school, maybe this wouldn't have happened.
From her birth to her passing Katty touched so many lives. Not only did her
family have the joy of watching her grow from a 6 pound baby girl to a beautiful
young woman, but so many others did as well. The lives she touched are too many
to fathom. Her beauty and grace preceded her where ever she went. Her heart
was made of fine gold and she cared for others always before herself. She was
not just special to all of us but to the Lord who saw fit to call her home at
such a young age. Her mansion was ready! When we think of Katty now we all can
be at peace because we know she is with her Lord, never to face this harsh world
we live in day to day. She is with us always when we remember her smile, her
touch, and her kind words. We all had the pleasure of being touched by an ANGEL!
We want our son's name to be Remembered and to bring hope and joy out of something
that has been the darkest and heartbreaking days of our families life. JP was
very out spoken and we have decided to be that way on this site and to be his
voice about the drug companies and the public official's that sit back and do
nothing. If we could save one person from what our family had to go Through
and is still going Through, it would be all worth it We will not stop until
the truth gets out. We want his memory to live on.
Time has gone by so quickly and it seems like we haven't seen your face in forever.
Our hearts are broken, our tears flow so freely and our souls feel empty. Michael,
you left us with so many happy memories but the memories can never take your
place. We know you and your uncle Sam are saving a place for those who cherished
you the most.
Two weeks before he died, Chuck called me on the phone. He was excited to tell
me he was joining the National Guard. He had begun to think about being a History
Teacher. He planned to attend school after basic training. He also mentioned
a new girlfriend. He was pretty crazy about her but wanted to give things a
little more time before making her "meet the parents". Still, we made plans
to meet for lunch once July wound down. He thought we might all get together
and told me not to worry, he had a job and would help pay the check. The first
time I met the young lady he was so crazy about was as she cried herself senseless
over his casket. She laid a broken heart chain and necklace across his hands.
She wore the mating half around her slender neck. Her courage in court helped
to solidify the deal that sent a drug dealer to prison. I hope she, and Chuck's
other friends, make the right decision and swear off drug use so we may never
see their faces on these pages.
Everyone ever touched by Miranda. This will be a tribute to the life she lived.
She was the most remarkable and inspirational woman I have ever known. I was
in awe of my own daughter. Even as her mother, her beauty took my breath away,
and as she walked this earth from her crawling stages to adulthood her beauty
from the inside amazed me. Miranda loved about every living thing and each friend
she had she made her relationship with them special and unique.
Jamie was a very loving son, brother, grandson, nephew, boyfriend and friend..
Most importantly he was the best father anyone could have asked for.. Even though
he was only 16 when he was taken away from us from his so called friend, he
did everything for his daughter and mother of his daughter that he had
asked to marry him when he turns 18.. Jamie was the type of kid that would take
his shirt off his back for anyone that needs it.. Jamie died on April
23, 2008.. If only his so called friend (29 yrs old), his mother and the other
people at the home called 911 instead of waiting 3 hours, he would still be
here with us today.. Jamie's dad passed away Nov 2005 and he had a hard time
dealing with loosing his father and could not believe he was gone.. Well now
Jamie is at home with his dad..Until we meet again... I am proud of you my son..Love
you always and forever, Mommy
Kaylin Marie Mathews was born on a Tuesday March 1, 1988. Kaylin was my oldest
child and my only daughter. She could play the piano, guitar, and drums and
loved to sing. She had been "spinning records" the last few years and loved
to mix music. She had been working as a d.j. at the time of her death and was
very good. Kaylin was an only child for 71/2 years. She has one brother and
one sister. She was a talented writer. She made jewelry and she could draw.
There was nothing that my baby couldn't do, if she wanted to. Kaylin was left
to die in a ravine on June 30, 2008. She was found on July 1, 2008. Her date
of death is listed as a Tuesday July 1, 2008. She was 20 years old. I miss her
every second of every day. The world lost an amazing talent and an amazing young
woman. I lost a part of my heart.
R.J. was truly a blessing in our lives. He was the kind of son that most parents
only dream of having. He always respected and obeyed his parents and never got
in trouble. RJ was never in trouble in his life RJ always called home to let
us know where he was and when he would be home. When he was missing and we couldn't
reach him on his cell phone, we knew immediately something terrible was wrong.
This is a nightmare that no parent should have to go through and we are living
it. Our concern is not what we are going through, but what our son had to go
through in his final moments of life.
William Michael Grandchamp better known as Billy, was born Nov 7,1979. HE was
a only child. Billy had many friends. Billy often told his friends that his
MOM was his best friend. Billy liked to collect sports attire like jerseys and
sports caps.Everything he wore had to match. He was meticulous with his clothing,
car, and home. Although, Billy had no children of his own he loved children.
He told me his greatest wish was to find a good girl and settle down and have
a family. That seemed to be very important to him. Even at a young age he had
a gift with children. Billy's friends have always commented on how good he was
with their children and how their children loved him. Billy was loved by so
many people. He had over 800 friends and family members at his wake. Billy will
be greatly missed by all his family and friends.
Chase lived life spontaneously with the freedom of a butterfly – a free spirit
& soul – no one could hold him down, except his baby girl. She was his LIFE.
There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her, including getting clean. Chase
was clean 1.5 yrs, after 6 months in residential rehab in New Orleans, continued
with NA meetings, substance abuse group counseling, and sought out a Navy recruiter
who told him all he would have to do to be eligible. He seemed to be on his
way, until he fell off the wagon 12 days out of jail. Turning to heroin again
to deal with stress was the mistake of his life. “Chase’s Story” is shared with
you on his main page. Thanks for taking time to read it. Sincere and heartfelt
thanks to the FDLFD Family for taking us under their wings. “They will sing
me to them, and I will hear.” ~RIP Chase~4evrYng~1985-2009
Katelynn Lillian Porter, 16, of West Elgin, was killed in a car crash on Dunborough
Rd. in Elgin County. “In loving memory of Katelynn Porter. 12/12/09. 9:40 p.m.”
is written between two hearts on the roadside memorial, a makeshift cross. Porter
was a student at West Elgin secondary school, where officials are trying to
come to grips with the news of her death, especially so close to Christmas.
Tony passed away 10 days after his 16th birthday. He asked permission to spend the night at his friends and I told him yes. I told him" I love you" and he replied "I love you too Mom. Tony was the kid who wanted to make everyone laugh. He had such a wonderful sense of humor and a big heart. He would talk to his friends for hours trying to help them solve their problems. He was a loving big brother, and a wonderful son. He would help you with anything without even being asked. Tony was an extremely intelligent child. He was always placed in advanced classes. A week before he passed we received a letter from Columbine informing us that Tony was nominated to participate in their advanced English Program. He had a gift for writing stories.
She loved all things technical and mechanical with her older brother Ian and fashion and decorating days with her older sister Genevieve. She loved Gothic country art, the workings of the human body, video games, driving and her new tattoo machine. She loved swimming and surfing. She loved all things living and loved her dog Timpleton and her parrot Thermopolis. She had a strong heart and soul, was an independent and progressive thinker, open minded and a will power like no one else. Her favorite place to go was Barnes and Noble.
Vivianna Satterfield was 15 years old! Vivi was the type of young lady that put other people in front of herself. She would always say "Peace and Love".
Kelli Laine Lewis is my only daughter. Kelli died when she was 18 after attending a party hosted by 3 adults who offered a $5.00 entry fee to come and drink all you wanted. A pretty tempting offer for teens not old enough to buy alcohol.
Growing up – she had it all. She was smart and witty - she could come up with a jovial comeback in almost any conversation or situation. She wShe was smart and witty - she could come up with a jovial comeback in almost any conversation or situation. She was always photographing everything and always laughing. She had an infectious laugh, loud and squeaky, but incredibly endearing. Taylor was a huge fan of Tyler Perry’s Madea. She owned every play and knew every word to every gospel song in the plays. She would sing them at the top of her lungs to anyone that would listen. as always photographing everything and always laughing. She had an infectious laugh, loud and squeaky, but incredibly endearing.
He went out THE FIRST TIME to celebrate being "LEGAL" with a creep he considered a friend (even though we warned him this guy was not a true friend). My son did not drive so he was picked up about ten thirty. Even when it was obvious my son was having difficulties this creep brought him to his own house , which is 4 houses away for a few hours, and dropped him off here at home in the middle of the night WITHOUT KNOCKING OR CALLING OR WAKING US UP. We found Ben in his bed the next morning when we tried to wake him.
Governor
Mike Rounds has signed into law a bill that creates a
prescription drug monitoring system in South Dakota.
It's an effort to prevent people from "doctor shopping"
for medications that can be abused. Nancy Kueter lost
her teenage son to a prescription drug overdose last
June. She says such a monitoring system could have saved
her son, and she's hopeful it will save others. Kueter
says, "Too many people are dying. Too many kids are
dying. They don't understand what these prescription
drugs are doing, so I'm hoping it'll stop so people will
open their eyes." The new act does not require doctors
or pharmacists to obtain information about a patient
from the database prior to prescribing or dispensing
medications but it does give the pharmacy board the
authority to notify law enforcement or another
regulatory agency if it seems a patient has misused,
abused or diverted a controlled substance.
Julie
Oberlander
RC mom
wants to compel calls for help
Tuesday, 24
November 2009 15:54
A Rapid
City mom is on a mission to save lives. Her teenage son
died from a prescription drug overdose in June and she
says three of his friends knew he was in trouble but
never called for help. Nancy Kueter can't change her
own son's story, but she is trying to change state law
in hopes of preventing something similar from ever
happening again.
Kueter says, "Dustin was a good,
kind-hearted person. I just, I just can't believe it's
happened." A video made in his memory takes viewers
through the life of Dustin Kueter. Dustin was just 18
years old on June 18 of this year, when he overdosed on
the prescription drug oxymorphone. His mother Nancy says
she still doesn't know whether he was addicted to the
drug or only took it once, the one time it killed him.
Nancy says three of his friends were in his bedroom at
the time. She says they put wet towels on him and turned
him on his side but never called for help.
Nancy Kueter says, "They may have been my son's friends,
but they weren't his true friends because true friends
don't do that. True friends don't let you die. They call
for help no matter what. No matter what, if they get in
trouble, they'll call for help. That's what a true
friend would do." State law in South Dakota doesn't
require people to get help when someone is in danger or
distress, and the law doesn't punish them if they
don't. Nancy Kueter says it's time to change that -
it's time to hold people responsible.
She says,
"We have nothing in South Dakota that we have to call
911. We can just leave them, and I think that's wrong."
Nancy Kueter has contacted several state lawmakers,
including Senator Stan Adelstein, in hopes of getting
the legislature to change state law next year.
Adelstein said Monday that he will try to incorporate
the change in South Dakota's existing Good Samaritan Law
... which basically says if a person makes a good faith
effort to help someone in danger, the Good Samaritan is
not liable for damage done while trying to help.
Prescription drug abuse on the rise State
takes action to curb trend
By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal staff | Monday,
August 17, 2009
On June 18, Nancy
Kueter's 18-year-old son Dustin died from a
prescription drug overdose.
Until that day, Kueter didn't know her son was
abusing prescription drugs. She also didn't realize
just how pervasive prescription drug abuse has
become.
"I just think people need to
know," Kueter said. "If I could save another kid's
life ...."
Dustin died in his own bedroom
from an overdose of the prescription painkiller
oxymorphone. Although he had had problems with
marijuana use as a younger teenager, he was on
probation and underwent frequent drug testing,
Kueter said. He seemed to have turned the corner,
with his recent graduation from Stevens High School
and a new job he loved. "Actually, I thought he was
doing great," Kueter said.
Kueter believes
that the peer pressure to abuse prescription drugs
was just too much for her son. She said three other
people were in her son's bedroom the night he died.
A police investigation into his death has been
closed without any criminal charges filed, a fact
that frustrates Kueter.
Nationwide,
prescription drug abuse is on the rise. The Office
of National Drug Control Policy calls the increase
"a serious threat to public health and safety."
The three classes of prescription drugs most
commonly abused are opioids, depressants and
stimulants, according to the National Institute on
Drug Abuse. To get the fastest and most potent high
from the drugs, addicts crush the pills before
snorting or smoking them. They also liquefy and
inject the drugs.
Nationwide, unintentional
deaths involving prescription opioids increased 114
percent from 2001 to 2005, and treatment admissions
increased 74 percent in the same time period.
Deaths from prescription drug abuse now rank
second only to car accidents as the leading cause of
death.
South Dakota has not escaped the
trend, said Craig Price, supervisory special agent
with the South Dakota Division of Criminal
Investigation.
From 2006 to 2008, statewide
drug arrests have steadily increased for
prescription drug violations. There were 44 arrests
for the narcotic hydrocodone/Vicodin in 2006. By
2008, arrests had risen to 120.
Arrests for
oxycodone/OxyContin rose from 22 in 2006 to 77 in
2008.
During the same 2006-2008 period,
arrests for the street drug methamphetamine dropped
from 705 to 419.
In 2005, the state of South
Dakota began restricting the sale of medications
containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine, a key
ingredient in meth. Price said law enforcement
officers speculate that as it became more difficult
to make meth, addicts turned to other drugs.
"Meth traditionally was easily made by anyone,"
Price said.
Laura Lewis, clinical supervisor
at the City/County Alcohol & Drug Programs in Rapid
City, said they, too, have seen an increase in the
number of people seeking treatment for opiate abuse.
From January to December 2007, 22 people were
admitted with an opiate addiction. During the same
time period in 2008, the number rose to 48 people.
And in the past six weeks, the detox center has
admitted one or two people every week who are
addicted to prescription drugs.
Rapid City
Regional Hospital's emergency department doesn't
track specific drugs in overdose cases, but the
hospital experienced an increase in all drug
overdoses -- four during fiscal year 2007 to 15 in
the same corresponding period in 2009.
With
an eye toward the rising numbers, South Dakota
Attorney General Larry Long took steps last year to
address prescription drug abuse in the state.
He created two Division of Criminal
Investigation positions to focus solely on
investigating prescription drug abuse.
John
Wenande, who worked previously with the Rapid City
Police Department, took that DCI position at the
first of the year. He investigates all prescription
drug crime in western South Dakota.
Wenande
said based on what he sees now, he expects arrests
for prescription drug violations to double from 2008
to 2009. "We can see the up-tick," he said.
Wenande said one of the most common ways addicts get
prescription drugs is by "doctor shopping." Addicts
visit different physicians, who unknowingly
prescribe the same medications. The abuser than
sells or abuses the drug.
Wenande said
prescription narcotics generally sell for about $1
per milligram on the street, making them a lucrative
venture. He recently investigated a woman who
obtained a prescription from her doctor because she
was experiencing pain. She then obtained another
prescription from a second doctor. She used the
initial prescription to treat her pain and sold the
second bottle of pills, earning $1,200 a month for a
year before she was caught.
Addicts also
forge prescriptions, alter prescriptions, rob
pharmacies and steal from relatives and strangers.
Wenande said in one local case, visitors to an open
house were stealing medication from the homeowner's
medicine chest.
"It's all walks of life,"
Wenande said.
In addition to hiring two DCI
agents, the attorney general's office is also
planning to implement a prescription drug database
to combat the problem.
DCI agent Craig Price
said the database would mirror the one used in North
Dakota, which requires pharmacists to log whenever a
prescription for a controlled substance is filled.
Howard Anderson, executive director of the North
Dakota Board of Pharmacy, said doctors can then
electronically check patients' prescription drug
histories.
"The purpose of the program is to
provide better care to those patients taking
controlled substances," Anderson said.
"Practitioners are universally supportive of it.
They feel it's been a real benefit in taking care of
their patients."
The secondary beneficiaries
of the database would be law enforcement, Price
said. Officers could access the database for ongoing
investigations.
Although Kueter is glad to
see the problem being addressed in South Dakota, the
interventions are obviously too late for her son.
And Kueter is convinced parents don't realize just
how many kids are dabbling in prescription drug
abuse.
"A lot of people don't know about it,"
she said. "There were just no signs that Dustin was
using these drugs."
She hesitates to offer
advice, saying only that she wants the message out
there so other parents don't face the same grim
reality she did.
"Watch your kids, and make
sure you know who they're really hanging around
with," she said. "I want it to stop."
Commonly abused prescription drugs
y Opioids:
Used for their pain-relieving properties,
medications that fall under this class include
morphine, codeine, oxycodone (OxyContin, Percodan,
Percocet).
y Depressants: Used as sedatives
and tranquilizers, depressants slow normal brain
function. Some that fall under this class include
barbiturates and benzodiazepines, such as Valium,
Zanax and Halcion.
y Stimulants: These drugs
increase alertness, attention and energy while
elevating blood pressure and increasing heart rate
and respiration. They are prescribed for treatment
of such conditions as attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder, narcolepsy and depression.
Addicts take the prescription drugs in various
ways: ingesting, snorting, smoking and liquefying
them and shooting them intravenously.
Source:
The National Institute on Drug Abuse
Treating
prescription drug abuse
Kicking an addiction
to prescription opiates doesn't come easy or cheap.
Laura Lewis, clinical supervisor at the
City/County Alcohol & Drug Programs, said the
initial stage of opiate drug detoxification can be
excruciating for an addict.
"When someone
comes down from opiates, it's like getting the flu
times 10," Lewis said.
Treatment programs
sometime use the drug Buprenorphine, which can help
prevent withdrawal symptoms. The drug has a low rate
of abuse and addiction, Lewis said.
But even
with the withdrawal symptoms relieved, addicts still
face other challenges.
Lewis said often, an
addict began taking the abused medication for
legitimate pain reasons. That makes it even more
difficult to end an addiction because they still
have the pain.
Another challenge: the length
of rehabilitation needed.
Unlike many
rehabilitation programs that last about 30 days,
prescription drug addiction requires six months. It
is often too much for a person to commit to,
financially or time-wise. "They need long term
treatment, ... and long-term treatment isn't cheap,"
Lewis said.
Because of those challenges,
people with addictions to prescription narcotic have
a high rate of relapse, Lewis said.
RAPID CITY, SD -
It sounds unthinkable; watching a friend suffer and not
calling for help. Sadly and shockingly, a growing number of
teens and young adults are dying of drug overdoses while
their friends stand by, too scared of getting in trouble to
seek medical treatment.
A Rapid City family is
fighting to prevent others from suffering the way they have
by spreading the message that Friends Don't Let Friends Die.
Last summer, Dustin Kueter was entering the prime of his
life. He turned 18 in May, had a summer job and was looking
forward to the future.
"He graduated May 31 from
Stevens High School and then he wanted to be a chef, so I
probably would've had him in school to be a chef," mother
Nancy Kueter said.
But instead of looking at programs
and filing for financial aid, Nancy Kueter says her son got
mixed up with the wrong people. On June 18, he and his
girlfriend were in his room when another person brought
drugs into the house. Dustin took the pills and started
having an overdose.
"Instead of calling for help or
even coming upstairs to get me up, they knew he was in a
coma, they knew he was in distress, they knew he was dying,
they put wet towels on him, turned him over, shook him, and
left him," Nancy said.
Dustin's girlfriend finally
went up to his mom's room hours after Dustin had taken the
drugs. When Nancy got to his bedside, her son was
unrecognizable.
"He was already blue and purple, he
was gone. He was long gone," Nancy said.
Dustin was
found in his room with a large amount of prescription pain
killer in his system, a drug that wasn't prescribed to him
that no one is sure he took willingly. That's something his
family never got the chance to ask him.
Now, his mom
and sister, Jessie, are left to wonder if he'd still be here
if the people who said they were his friends would've spoken
up.
"It's horrific, it's disgusting. What they did to
him. Watching him for God knows how long, hours I believe.
It's, I can't even imagine how they could watch him gasping
for air, in a coma. Shaking," Jessie Kueter said.
Now, the two women have joined a growing group of families
in the Friends Don't Let Friends Die movement, aimed at
raising awareness about drug overdoses and how important it
is for friends to seek help before it's too late. It's
something they wish Dustin's peers didn't have to learn the
hard way.
"He would want people to know who their
true friends are, and he would want them to know who they
have surrounding them if they're going to be there to
protect them or not, I think he would want people to be
aware of who their true friends are," Jessie said.
"I
wait for him to come home, I don't sleep. It makes me sick
knowing people can just watch people die and not get help,"
Nancy said.
An unthinkable reaction to a problem
facing so many that this family hopes to prevent from
happening again.
None of Dustin's friends have been
charged for possessing or using prescription drugs.
Find more information on the Friends Don't Let Friends Die
movement online.