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The heartbreaking obituary of a young mother who died as a result of addiction has hit a nerve at the international level.
The Turning Point Center in Burlington, Vermont, an organization that provides assistance to people suffering from alcohol and drug addiction, has been inundated with donations from strangers since that it was mentioned in the obituary of Madelyn Linsenmeir.
Gary De Carolis, executive director of the center, said that there had been 231 donations since the publication of the October 14 obituary – an exponentially high number for the center.
DeCarolis said he was also touched by the notes he had received.
"The piece that takes me is the notes that accompany them [the donations]. Keep doing the good work you do until you get there myself, "he said.
Courtesy of Turning Point Center for Chittenden County
"They come from all over the country and from elsewhere," he added.
Linsenmeir, 30, died in a hospital in police custody on October 7, according to her sister Kate O'Neill, who describes in detail the drug addict's 12-year battle with her drug addict.
"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.
De Carolis said that the obituary – which notes that Linsenmier was a singer, a caring mother, a passionate skier and swimmer, and a beloved family member – has helped to humanize a problem that affects so many communities.
Courtesy of Turning Point Center for Chittenden County
He added that the obituary "has allowed people to see that they are first and foremost human beings with talents and skills and, yes, they are struggling with addiction."
Andrea Suozzo, the digital publisher of Seven Days, the website that contains obituary, said the obit had received more than 3.2 million pages viewed, pointing out that it "far exceeded the traffic that we have never had ".
Cathy Resmer, the site's associate editor, echoed this sentiment, noting: "There are not many people in Vermont."
The obituary was liked 451,000 times on Facebook and sparked hundreds of comments.
Resmer said it was not the first time the site had published an obituary about addiction.
"It's really amazing the magnitude of this problem," Resmer said.
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