About yesterday

 

 

Standing on the steps of the Capitol building wasn’t about anything Judy and I have done.  It’s about Matt and Lindsay, and all the other parents and families, and what they have done.  Matt and Lindsay have flown back and forth, and back and forth, to Colorado from Arizona, testifying before a House committee first, then later a Senate committee, about their experience with Alex.  They testified in support of that bill that acknowledges the problem that fentanyl is, and the danger it is to all of us; all of us, not just our kids.

 

People don’t die of fentanyl overdoses.  There is no safe dose of street fentanyl.  Fentanyl is a poison that is being sold freely as recreation.  Matt and Lindsay, and all the other parents and family of fentanyl deaths, gathered and waited hours for their turn to testify and tell the stories of their loved ones; each one reliving the tragedies they have experienced.  We are in awe of the fortitude it took for them to repeatedly share their heartbreak with the world, so that the world can respond more appropriately to the problem.  While we have been here, we have heard over and over that this legislation would not have happened but for the power of the testimonies of these families.

 

We are thankful for the politicians from both parties who sponsored and pushed so hard for this legislation, and for those who heard the pain of the families and changed their minds so that this bill could pass.  Standing on the steps, that was us standing in honor of Matt and Lindsay who did so much to touch the hearts of the people who could make this bill become law.