{"id":2931,"date":"2025-11-20T06:04:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T06:04:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=2931"},"modified":"2025-11-20T06:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T06:04:17","slug":"my-son-died-i-cant-run-from-that-but-i-run-so-no-one-else-has-to-run-this-race-mom-shares-the-intensity-of-grief-after-losing-son-to-overdose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=2931","title":{"rendered":"\u2018My. Son. Died. I can\u2019t run from that. But I run so no one else has to run this race.\u2019: Mom shares the intensity of grief after losing son to overdose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u201cLast weekend I met a woman who drove from Jefferson City, Missouri, to participate in the Little Rock marathon on her 60th birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She made the trip alone, and we found ourselves sitting around a fire in the courtyard of our hotel visiting as if we had known each other for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She shared that it would be her last marathon because her husband of thirty-seven years had been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovewhatmatters.com\/drinking-culture-alcoholism-finally-see-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">diagnosed<\/a>&nbsp;with Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_280787\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lwm-a2.azureedge.net\/uploads\/2022\/03\/staci_james_son_overdose4-900x1200.jpg\" alt=\"people performing\" class=\"wp-image-280787\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I shared that I was in town to speak at a recovery conference because my son was taken by Fentanyl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We had nothing and everything in common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I often joke that I\u2019m not running unless someone is chasing me, and even then it might not happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But during my quiet time at the lake this morning, I realized that I do in fact run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It looks nothing like the running that my new friend does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No running shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No physical mile after mile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No getting up every day working training into my schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I still run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I run from pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heartache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emptiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Traumatic memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This list is endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I run to keep my wailing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovewhatmatters.com\/heroin-overdose-kindness-nonprofit-addiction\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">soul<\/a>&nbsp;10 steps behind me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I run from grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My running is taking care of the ones I love the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I cling to their well-being more than my own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My running is encouraging those in this race with me because if we are running together, the exhaustion is shared and understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_280786\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lwm-a2.azureedge.net\/uploads\/2022\/03\/staci_james_son_overdose3-900x247.jpg\" alt=\"running for a cure\" class=\"wp-image-280786\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>My running is fighting for those unable to run because of the shackles of a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovewhatmatters.com\/dad-repeated-i-put-it-in-his-hands-how-could-he-have-given-his-son-lethal-narcotics-i-was-frozen-in-shock-man-recounts-brothers-overdose-homophobia-learn-from-your-har\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My running is standing side by side with those who have broken free from the grips of death as they run for their brother all the while fighting to maintain their victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My running is shouting as loudly as I can that Fentanyl is a murder weapon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My running is being a voice for the now voiceless so no one else has to run this race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It all sounds very noble, and I believe wholeheartedly I was born to run this race, but my son had to die before I took my place at the starting line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I can\u2019t run from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I hate this race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I love it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s the upside-down of grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My new friend grieves her husband\u2019s declining health and the fact it will require her to walk away from something she loves to take care of someone she loves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I grieve that I no longer get to take care of someone I love and for the hundreds of thousands of victims of hell\u2019s assignment against families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_280785\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lwm-a2.azureedge.net\/uploads\/2022\/03\/staci_james_son_overdose2-900x901.jpg\" alt=\"mom and her son taking a picture\" class=\"wp-image-280785\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Grief is grief is grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And it\u2019s the most arduous race anyone will ever run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Training is non-existent and running for your life is the only option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Running for your life is running towards actually living instead of merely&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovewhatmatters.com\/i-left-widow-groups-because-my-loss-doesnt-get-compassion-like-others-woman-reflects-on-addiction-awareness-day-i-loved-him-and-he-loved-me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">existing<\/a>, and it is not easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As I enter the third year of this marathon, I see those on the sidelines cheering me on, and oh how I love you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without you, I would have tapped out a long time ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With you, I push through the pain and exhaustion and choose to listen to you, and I believe can do this and that you have my back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of what that looks like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That in and of itself is a medal I proudly wear around my neck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a two-fold race that I run, and both have the same finish line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I long to hear the words \u2018well done\u2019 followed by an embrace I haven\u2019t felt since March of 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I won\u2019t stop until I\u2019m there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t know how my new friend faired in the marathon that she was running in Little Rock, and odds are, I\u2019ll never see her again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I do know is daily more runners find themselves in this race, and to you, I want to say the same thing my cheerleaders in heaven and on Earth say to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ll run by your side, and mile after mile, He will place cheerleaders as wonderful as mine on the sidelines for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turns out I\u2019m a runner after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so are you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\" id=\"attachment_280788\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lwm-a2.azureedge.net\/uploads\/2022\/03\/staci_james_son_overdose5-900x1200.jpg\" alt=\"mom and son in an edited photo\" class=\"wp-image-280788\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lovewhatmatters.com\/mom-shares-the-intensity-of-grief-after-losing-son-to-overdose\/?fbclid=IwY2xjawOLjlhleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF3cDVHRGF1UkNJMTYwUndZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqSa047daCdRHbi_2AxsCJ558xHhj2u-obkgFcgfHbFxagepgQONYe9uzq3a_aem_SSRVzjHgTDodVOFiQv46yw#\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cLast weekend I met a woman who drove from Jefferson City, Missouri, to participate in the Little Rock marathon on her 60th birthday. She made<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/581936504_1237771304839380_6019561167679281667_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2933,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2931\/revisions\/2933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}