When Molly Parks died of a heroin overdose, her father, Tom Parks, printed the news publicly.
In a striking obituary remembering both Molly's ups and downs, Tom shares the pain of losing a daughter to drug addiction.
The obituary remembers a bright, intelligent 24-year-old who loved the "Harry Potter" series and perfectly applied red lipstick.
Molly, who worked at a pizza place in Manchester, New Hampshire, was found dead April 16 in the restaurant's bathroom. She still had a needle in her arm.
Although it wasn't easy for the Parks family to cope with Molly's death after several failed attempts at rehabilitation, they shared her story in hopes it will help someone in the same position rethink his or her choices.
Tom told NPR, "I wanted [the obituary] to be transparent and blunt."
"People need to know there's an epidemic."
"It's rampant."
"People are getting a hold of heroin and they're dying regularly."
Tom said the obituary took him an hour to write because "[he] couldn't see the screen or the keyboard 'cause [he] was crying so hard."
Molly Alice Parks, age 24, who most currently resided in Manchester, NH, passed away in Manchester on April 16, 2015 as the result of a heroin overdose. She was born in York, Maine on March 13, 1991, a daughter of Tom and Patti (Michaud) Parks. Molly graduated from Old Orchard Beach High School in 2009 and attended one year at SMCC until her addiction took over. Most recently, she was employed as a delivery driver for Portland Pie Co. in Manchester, NH. She enjoyed theater, fashion, reading – especially Harry Potter, and will always be remembered for fearless personality and her trademark red lipstick. Along Molly's journey through life, she made a lot of bad decisions including experimenting with drugs. She fought her addiction to heroin for at least five years and had experienced a near fatal overdose before. Molly's family truly loved her and tried to be as supportive as possible as she struggled with the heroin epidemic that has been so destructive to individuals and families in her age bracket... If you have any loved one's [sic] who are fighting addiction, Molly's family asks that you do everything possible to be supportive, and guide them to rehabilitation before it is too late.
Citations: Father pens candid obituary for drug-addict daughter, 24, who died of a heroin overdose in a restaurant bathroom as he warns other families to help their loved ones (Daily Mail)
