WHAT DO PRINCE AND MY SISTER HAVE IN COMMON?

FENTANYL.
My sister and Prince both died of accidental overdoses of a drug called Fentanyl.
Fentanyl is an Opioid, one of the strongest painkillers available and commonly used to treat cancer patients. If you look it up, every other word is "fatal", "overdose" or "respiratory arrest".

Those who knew Prince said he had been addicted to pain-killers for a long time.
Those who knew my sister Lisa suspected that she might be.
As of yet no one knows where Prince may have gotten his Fentanyl, or if he had a prescription..
As of yet, no one knows where my sister Lisa got hers. All that is known is that she did not have a prescription and that the Medical Examiner found two "patches" on her body. We dont know if a friend had given them to her, or if a doctor had supplied her with samples. Apparently, this is not an uncommon practice.

A month ago I did a post about this drug. (Click here)
At that time I wasnt ready to tell the world, or most of my friends exactly what had happened to my sister Lisa.
But with the death of Prince by the very same drug, and at the urging some loved ones, the truth should be told.
As the article above indicates, addiction to painkillers has reached epidemic proportions in this country. People start out popping a few Vicodin's for a toothache, and the next thing you know they are stealing hydrocodone from their friends medicine cabinets, then they turn to heroin on the street because its more powerful and cheaper, and in some cases even easier to get.

Or in the case of Prince and Lisa, they moved on to Fentanyl, reportedly 50 times stronger than heroin and easy, very easy, to get too much of and die. According to the article above, it can also be purchased on the street, manufactured in China and marketed as China White.

But I really doubt Prince or Lisa went to the street for theirs. The stuff from the doctors will kill you just as quick.

When Lisa came home from California, some of her friends had expressed concern over her meds.
I remember telling them that if I had any indication she was having trouble, I would frog march her down to the Narcotics Anonymous Group that helped save my life.
But it doesn't work that way.
Something has to bring the addict to admit their powerlessness, and I was never able to do that for Lisa. Addiction is a cunning and baffling enemy of life, and Lisa wasn't able to do that for herself.

If you have to take painkillers, please follow Doctors orders.
And if it gets out of hand, listen to the message I heard back in 2008:
"That any addict can stop using drugs, lose the desire to use, and find a new way to live"

If you knew Lisa, you know she was smart, funny, warm-hearted, and loved life.
She had spent her life in service. She had a Masters degree in Sociology; Lisa worked for Child Protective Services, saving kids from the horrors of addiction, and counseling families struggling with these issues.
She would want her story told; that no one, not one,  is immune.
My sister Lisa would want you to know that.
We all miss her so.