“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”
— Clarence, “It’s a Wonderful Life”
Dear high school students, I never knew Danielle Fitzsimmons. The same holds true for Ali Childs. But mark my words, I will never forget them. And I hope the same goes for you.
Sunday was the one-year anniversary of Danni’s passing, an event that sparked the series, Danni’s Ripple Effect. Part of the logo says, Keep the Conversation Going. I hope the series has done this by highlighting a myriad of topics.
It all started when Danni’s family made the brave decision by opening the door so we could see a glimpse of their heartbreak, of their loss.
They wanted to reach out to others, wanted to help others struggling with addiction.
Then, seven months ago, Ali passed. Once again, a grief-stricken family shared memories of their daughter and sister. They shared their unimaginable pain that will remain a part of them forever.
Danni and Ali left us way too soon — ages 22 and 23, respectively. But their legacies live on through this series and Ali’s House of New Beginnings, a sober house for women in Bradford.
Not quite the legacy either one of them imagined for themselves, but nonetheless, they are theirs.
So, I ask you, what legacy will you author; what life will you lead?
You have been given the opportunity to learn from Danni and Ali.
A few weeks ago, Gary Tennis, secretary of drug and alcohol in Pennsylvania, came to talk to you (Bradford Area High School students) as well as the community about the heroin/opioid epidemic.
Undoubtedly, a great opportunity, I thought. That feeling did not last long when I heard some students found the assembly “pointless.”
One student spoke out against this sentiment.
“I don’t understand why everyone is talking about how pointless the assembly was,” said senior Amy Priest. “He spoke about a lot of necessary and important things. When was the last time you heard someone talk about pharmaceutical companies’ role in causing the addiction issue we are having today due to their commercialization of opioid painkillers?”
Thankfully, Amy saw the positive of the assembly.
“There is definitely no issue that I can see with being wary of the prescription meds you’re being given. It’s easy to think ‘this is stupid, it won’t happen to me.’ But it can. It wasn’t a stupid assembly. It was just too big of an issue for small minds to worry about I guess.”
She admitted that this apathy comes from lack of understanding the epidemic.
“It’s hard for me to feel upset with them when I know that the reason they didn’t understand the assembly is that addiction probably just hasn’t affected their lives personally,” she said. “And I hope that it stays that way.”
She also has seen how people have blamed the addict and not address the problem.
“But it was nice hearing someone higher up addressing the problem at its source and encouraging more young people to get involved.”
Young people like yourselves need to also open your eyes.
Two photos accompany this column. The ones of Danni and Ali were printed with their obituaries. Let me repeat that — with their obituaries. Look at them. They were young, beautiful people just like you. And now they are dead.
Don’t squander this opportunity to learn and grow. To leave a legacy of your choosing.
There is a saying, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.” It is an expression of humility. The speaker acknowledges that outside factors, such as God’s grace, play a role in his success in life.
There, but for the grace of God, goes all of us. You all have a chance to learn, to love … to live.
I speak from experience. Someone very close to me struggles with addiction. I thank God every day that this person has chosen life, not death. It could have easily been a different outcome.
Don’t let Danni’s and Ali’s fate be your fate. Don’t let their deaths be in vain.
Your lives depend on it.
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(Rhodes is an occasional writer for The Bradford Era and has written the Danni’s Ripple Effect series of stories on drug abuse across the region.)
