Chelsea is a Narcotics Unit Paralegal Specialist with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and a member of Silent No More. Addiction has rattled just about every one of her family members, ultimately claiming the lives of her two oldest brothers Steven and Scott. Steven passed away from a heroin overdose in 2009 and Scott passed away from an overdose attributed to a mixture of Fentanyl and a new synthetic opioid called Isotonitrazene. Her stepdad passed away from cirrhosis of the liver caused by his decades long alcohol addiction. Chelsea's birth mother has been an addict for years, falling victim to heroin, crack, and other drugs.
Her youngest brother has been on opiates since he was about 13 or 14 and is now 30. She wants to share her story and have these uncomfortable conversations to end the stigma associated with addiction. Chelsea wants to keep Steven and Scott's stories alive, and she wants to be an example that your circumstances today do not warrant your path tomorrow. She wants her story to spread hope to those personally battling addiction and those affected by watching their loved one’s battle addiction. Together, we can fight this.
Topics:
The power of sharing from the heart and the power of stories.
What was the turning point in your life?
My mom’s overdose in front of me.
Was there a significant change in the way you saw your mom in that moment?
Growing up in foster care and the military
Why did you never go down the drug abuse road?
Never felt the need to escape from addiction.
Bobby’s brother dies from addiction.
You have a choice to see the negative or the positive in life.
Mental health isn’t going to get fixed overnight.
