Family's heartbreaking obituary after young mum's drug addiction death
The heartbroken family of a young mum who spent half of her life battling a crippling drug addiction have written a confronting obituary following her overdose.
Surrounded by her family in their Vermont home, Madelyn Ellen Lisenmeir succumbed to an opiate addiction that had “dominated her life” since high school.
In the wake of her death, her family published an obituary that spoke candidly about her life and detailed how they feared Madelyn’s drug battle would one day claim her life.
‘While her death was unexpected, Madelyn suffered from drug addiction, and for years we feared her addiction would claim her life. We are grateful that when she died she was safe and she was with her family,” the obituary in Vermont’s Seven Days read.
“To some, Maddie was just a junkie — when they saw her addiction, they stopped seeing her. And what a loss for them. Because Maddie was hilarious, and warm, and fearless, and resilient. She could and would talk to anyone, and when you were in her company you wanted to stay.
They said Madelyn first began using opioids after she tried OxyContin at a house party in 2016.
Her desperate sobriety attempts were ramped up following the birth of her son Ayden in 2014.
“Maddie loved her family and the world. But more than anyone else, she loved her son, Ayden…” the family wrote.
“Every afternoon in all kinds of weather, she would put him in a backpack and take him for a walk … she so loved to snuggle him up, surrounding him with her love.”
“Maddie tried harder and more relentlessly to stay sober than we have ever seen anyone try at anything.
But as the forthright article reads, even that wasn’t enough. She eventually lost custody in a process that the family described as “unbearable”.
A final 12 ‘wonderful days’
During the past two years especially, her disease brought her to places of incredible darkness, and this darkness compounded on itself, as each unspeakable thing that happened to her and each horrible thing she did in the name of her disease exponentially increased her pain and shame.
A brilliant performer and singer, Madelyn returned home for “12 wonderful days”, full of swimming, movies and family dinners – providing hope she may overcome her demons.
But as the family revealed, eventually her addiction “stalked her and stole her once again”.
“Though we would have paid any ransom to have her back, any price in the world, this disease would not let her go until she was gone.”
Concluding the obituary, the Linsenmeir family pleaded with anyone battling their own addictions to seek out and get help before it’s too late.
“If you are reading this with judgment, educate yourself about this disease, because that is what it is. It is not a choice or a weakness,” they wrote.
