“My daughter’s a heroin addict,” Kim Whitaker said in an interview with KTVA Thursday.
Up until a year ago, that was a reality Whitaker couldn’t bring herself to say out loud.
“It took me 15 years. A year ago this month is when I decided to start speaking out, and it’s come a long way in a year,” she said.
Since she joined together with recovering addicts to start a movement, Whitaker has held rallies, visited with Alaska politicians and even took her fight to the nation’s capital, lobbying in Washington, D.C. for change.
Thursday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and 93 other U.S. senators passed CARA, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, a bill that will give money and resources to community-based drug treatment programs.
This comes just a day after the Alaska Legislature passed Senate Bill 23, giving Alaskans access to Narcan, a drug that can stop heroin overdoses. Now, it could save addicts like Whitaker’s daughter.
“I love her. She’s an amazing person,” said Whitaker of her daughter. “She’s funny, she’s sweet, she’s kind-hearted, and addiction has robbed her soul. And I want my daughter back.”
Whitaker says this progress has motivated her to keep pushing for change. She’s hopeful the state and the nation will eventually take the money spent prosecuting non-violent addicts for drug crimes and use it to rehabilitate them.
Friday, February 17 2017 12:06 PM EST2017-02-17 17:06:28 GMT
Thursday, June 21 2018 4:03 PM EDT2018-06-21 20:03:55 GMT
You’re my friends now. We’re having soft tacos later. Yeah but I don’t know how to make myself go there. Maybe it might never happen again. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! Put a little fence around it! Ralph Waldo Pickle Chips! I don’t know him.Pony Lords, jump for you
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
PersonalityCatbug may be about 10 years old, and has a very sweet and childlike personality. Catbug's personality also makes him seem simpler and more carefree, like in the episode "Gas-Powered Stick," where he was seen talking to a spider, and in the ep
Thursday, February 23 2017 9:17 PM EST2017-02-24 02:17:22 GMT
Thursday, March 16 2017 1:27 PM EDT2017-03-16 17:27:38 GMT
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (21Alive) - A woman was trapped early Friday morning in her home after her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her while she was in bed. Fort Wayne fire crews and paramedics rushed to the sceneMore>>
Monday, August 27 2018 5:26 PM EDT2018-08-27 21:26:00 GMT
Tuesday, May 5 2020 10:40 AM EDT2020-05-05 14:40:00 GMT
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla vel efficitur diam, ut tempus lorem. In laoreet velit eget magna malesuada, sit amet mollis diam pretium. Suspendisse vulputate erat et maximus commodo. Proin ullamcorper, neque quis commodo vMore>>