Death notice for an opioid addict becomes viral: "This disease needs a face"

(NEW YORK) – Madelyn Linsenmeir was a "hilarious, warm, fearless, and resilient" mother, sister and friend. She was also an opioid addict.

Linsenmeir was a drug addict for 12 years, and, what her sister said was one of her darkest points, she sometimes panicked for money. She lost custody of her young son because of her illness.

On October 7, the 30-year-old woman died at the hospital while she was in custody, according to her sister, Kate O'Neill.

O'Neill does not want anyone to remember Linsenmeir for his addiction. Her astonishingly honest obituary, which she wrote for a local Vermont newspaper, is attracting more and more attention for her warmth and frankness.

"It is impossible to capture a person in an obituary, especially a person whose adult life was largely defined by drug addiction. For some, Maddie was just a drug addict – when they saw her addiction, they stopped seeing her. And what a loss for them. Because Maddie was hilarious, warm, fearless and resilient, "wrote O'Neill.

She explained how Linsenmeir loved her son Ayden and how she "sang rather than talking to her, filling her life with songs".

"After getting Ayden, Maddie tried harder and tirelessly to stay sober than we've ever seen anyone try to do anything. But she recidivated and finally lost custody of her son, an unbearable loss, "she continued.

O'Neill said the obituary paid tribute to her sister, but she also spoke about the realities of drug abuse – which she hoped others could learn.

"I want us to empathize with people in the dark, whether it's Maddie handling grocery parking or a dead junkie on the street," O'Neill told ABC News. "These people are Maddie too."

The obituary has since become viral. But there were also critics.

Brandon del Pozo, the police chief from Burlington, Vermont, where Linsenmeir and his family were raised, wrote on Facebook that he had "a problem".

"Why did it take a bereaved parent with a good literary sense to catch people's attention for a moment and shed a tear when nearly a quarter of a million people are already dead in the same way as Maddie while the epidemic was developing? "Del Pozo said in his post.

"Ask the cops and they'll tell you, Maddie's death is nothing special. It happens all the time, to people no less loved, necessary and humane, "he added, displaying a series of measures taken by the Burlington Police Service to fight drug addiction.

O'Neill said the wave of support for her sister was "incredible and she was bittersweet".

"We knew we were not alone and I think what's very friendly about it is that it's really concrete evidence of the number of people affected by this disease. Our grief is so intense and so personal, but it's not unique, "O'Neill said.

She took the negative reaction in the wake.

"This disease needs a face and Maddie is only a face," she said.

O'Neill is asking those interested in opioid addiction to donate to the Turning Point Center, "a place where Maddie spent time and felt supported."

Gary De Carolis, executive director of the center, said the staff had been "overwhelmed" with donations after the obituary was published.

"We have never seen anything like this in the center's history," De Carolis told ABC News.

De Carolis said he applauded the courage of the Linsenmeir family to be equally frank about his illness.

"The thing for me, the family … they had the courage to tell the story of Maddie and give a face to the plague of addiction. This will change the way America and the world view people with addictions. We are all people first, and some of us must unfortunately solve this problem, "said De Carolis.

The exact cause of Linsenmeir's death is still unknown. O'Neill said the drug may not have killed her, noting that she was in custody at the time. The death of Linsenmeir might very well not be counted in a government statistic. Like many others who are dying of an overdose, O'Neill said.

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