Obituary for mom who battled drug addiction goes viral

FOX NEWS - A family's open and honest obituary for their 30-year-old daughter who struggled with drug addiction has reached thousands online, with many sharing their own stories of substance abuse while thanking the parents for not hiding their child's struggles. Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir, who died on Oct. 7 and leaves behind her 4-year-old son, Ayden, was first introduced to drugs at age 16 following her family's move from Vermont to Florida.

According to the obituary, which was published in the Burlington Free Press, Linsenmeir first tried OxyContin at a high school party, which led to a dangerous relationship with opioids that would ultimately take her life.

"It is impossible to capture a person in an obituary, and especially someone whose adult life was largely defined by drug addiction," her parents wrote. "To some, Maddie was just a junkie - when they saw her addiction they stopped seeing her. And what a loss for them. Because Maddie was hilarious, and warm, and fearless, and resilient. She could and would talk to anyone, and when you were in her company you wanted to stay."

"In a system that seems to have hardened itself against addicts and is failing them every day, she befriended and delighted cops, social workers, public defenders and doctors, who advocated for and believed in her till the end," the obituary said.

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