Rachel Meyers Foundation

02/24/2022

My hat's off to all of you...if nobody's told you lately...I'm proud of you!

01/20/2022

It's good to know Rachel is still remembered. I've removed names to protect privacy. It's unfortunate that this young man passed away from an overdose but also comforting to know he remembered Rachel during a tough time, and it helped him in treatment. Unfortunately, where he**in is concerned, there are more who lose than win the battle with this evil drug.

01/14/2021

06/21/2020

The Ecstasy And The Agony

© RandomPoet

At long last the phone call.
Then the questions.
How?
Why?
Then comes the thundering roar -
Of silence in reply.

The first sleepless night;
Memories swarm like bees.
Finally the sun rises
On the first day that you will never see.

When did it all
Take a turn for the worse?
When did your blessings
Become such a curse?

When did the kid with the lemonade stand
Who loved riding her bike as far as she was able
Become the kid with the cigarette pack?
When did "help" turn into "enable"?

At last you discovered
That a rush without equal
Would fulfill all your dreams
And required only a needle.

But the needle is a harsh mistress
And she demands
Absolute faithfulness
To her commands.

Lie, cheat, steal
All this and more.
Just to pay homage
At the foot of her door.

She WILL NOT be "cured."
She WILL NOT "go away."
She WILL haunt you to the grave
For the rest of your days.

And what of the kid
With the lemonade stand?
She made one fatal choice, which
Only later did she understand.

The death of one so young
May seem sad beyond belief.
Yet sadder still the fact
That only death may give relief.

Would you condemn one so young
To this life she knows all too well?
Then God might ask, "What right have YOU
To sentence her to Hell?"

Beyond Death's door may lie
Some realm or land wherein
The miseries of life are lifted
And peace is found within.

But no map of THIS world
Points the way to such a land.
Either such a place does not exist
Or is beyond the ken of Man.

Can you see that kid upon her bike?
The joy upon her face?
Do not begrudge one final rush
As she races to Death's warm embrace.

She rides the wave of that mighty rush,
Misery fading into the past.
This world of woe not her concern
As her heart - slowly beats - its last.

03/30/2020

IT IS THE 5TH anniversary of the worst day of my life. Five years ago today I lost my beautiful, lovely middle daughter Rachel Meyers to a he**in overdose. I got the dreaded call in the middle of the night. In my case it came at 3:40 am. She is forever 18 and missed by many every day. I know many of you think I should just get over it, but I cannot. I am a shell of a man that I was, crushed. I will never get over this and I have great sympathy for others who have experienced worse tragedies. For those who keep telling me to pull myself up by my boot straps, thank you. But there are no boot straps strong enough to lift the heavy heart that I have or the weight of the guilt I carry with me every day.
I do want to count my blessings. I am so fortunate to have two amazing daughters, Selene and Amanda that I love dearly and support me. I have a wonderful son-in-law, Nick who has lived this nightmare with all of us and whom I love as if he were my own. I'm fortunate to have both of my parents still with me and they have been more patient and understanding with me than I deserve as well as my extended family. I am also truly blessed by my Facebook friends and my friends out side of Facebook as well. Thank you for being there. Many that were strangers to me have stepped up in ways big and small and have reaffirmed my belief in the basic goodness of human beings.
Rather than make this all about me, I've decided this year to share some of what I've learned having traveled this path. Much of what I say will probably be unpopular as most of us grew up in a different era. An era where our privacy was respected by our parents. The world has changed. I don't have an answer to everything, nor can I guarantee that doing what I say will guarantee a positive outcome, but it WILL give you a fighting chance. First off, the time for tough love is now. Meaning before the problem is in full bloom. Be a parent not a friend. I tell young people, "One bad night, one bad decision, one bad friend can change your life forever." It is true. As is the statement, "Show me your friends and I'll show you your future. "
It is a different world. Give your adolescent child NO PRIVACY. Find out their social media passwords and regularly monitor what goes on in their life, on their phones, their tablets, their computers. Nothing is sacred anymore. Yes, forbid them to see friends who are bad influences by any means necessary. Snoop through their rooms. Yes, do it. Go through their purses, jackets, backpacks. No locked boxes, no privacy, within reason. THEIR lives depend on it. Their brains are not fully developed until they are 25 years old.
Watch for the signs: long sleeve shirts worn all the time in warm weather or all summer, small squares of foil with burn marks, missing medication or valuables, disappearance of all your soup spoons (sounds stupid, but it's true), that or finding soup spoons with blackened burn marks on the bottom, small straws (2 to 3 inches long used to snort drugs), a purse that has half a ball point pen unscrewed (another snorting device).
Install an app like Life360 on your children's phones so you know where they are 24/7. If they remove or disable it. Be the parent and take their phone. Nail bedroom windows shut. I had to put a lock and chain on the steering wheel of one of my cars. Take whatever steps are necessary. This is a war that you cannot afford to lose.
Lastly, this is no guarantee, but it increases your chances....force your kids to participate in school music programs at a young age. Make them learn to play an instrument. Make them participate in a school sporting activity or two.
I'm sorry for rambling and I know this sounds like a N**i guidebook to parenting, but I have been to far too many funerals of young people in the last 5 years and this is truly a battle for the hearts and minds of our young ones. I don't have all the answers, and I don't mean to sound like I'm preaching, but I am trying to share what lessons that I have learned through experience because I would hate for any of you to lose a loved one to this terrible disease. And it IS a disease. It is not a choice.
Adding a new bit here....the reason I have been so harsh about watching your kids is that this disease is an unforgiving bitch. On top of that, if and when it does become a problem, you can rest assured that you will get NO help from the police or Sheriff's, hospitals and doctors and the laws are made so the deck is stacked against you. You will end up on an island having to fend for yourself and your loved one. It is a very lonely island, I can assure you.
My apologies if I have offended anyone. It was done out of love and comes from a good place. I do not pretend to be an expert and am not trying to parent your children for you, but I am trying to fire a warning shot.
All my love to all of you.
All I ever do is miss her, and all I ever do is cry....

03/28/2020

My apologies for not posting anything with respect to progress on Rachel's Law and other related legislation over this last year. Unfortunately, this is the first year where we have been unable to make any headway with respect to any legislation. While Rachel's Law and the other related legislation are all non-partisan changes to our laws, the current Speaker of the House for the State of Washington has made it clear that as long as she is Speaker she will not let this or any of the related legislation come to the floor for a vote. Between that and the full slate of legislation that was already being fought over, we decided discretion was the better part of valor. Therefore the decision was made to keep our powder dry and make a strong run at it next during next year's session.
On a very positive note, Representative Jenny Graham of Washington's 6th District has joined our team and will be helping going forward. For those unfamiliar with Jenny Graham she has been an advocate for the rights of r**e and molestation victims since before she was elected to office and has since been instrumental in getting laws passed that extend the statute of limitations for victims of child abuse as well as getting legislation passed that extend or eliminates the statute of limitations in criminal and civil cases of r**e or sexual abuse.
She will be a great asset to our team and is a tough legislator.
Sorry for not keeping everyone up to date, but the stars seem to have not been aligned in our favor this year and sometimes you need to bide your time and look for better timing to move forward.

06/17/2019

For those that are interested I just completed an interview that will air tonight on the 6 p.m. News on KHQ6 here in Spokane. If you're outside the area you will be able to see it on KHQTV's website.
They wanted me to speak on the city's agenda item tonight that would study the feasibility of suing Purdue and other pharmaceutical makers for the costs of the Opioid Epidemic we are experiencing.
Would love honest feedback from anyone who watches.
Thanks,
Scott

06/08/2019

Addiction is a heartless beast.

02/13/2019

LEGISLATION UPDATE:
We currently have HB 1700 (Rachel's Law) and HB 1922 (Enhanced Sentencing) dropped for this session. This means the laws have been drafted and submitted and just need to be voted out of committed for a vote by the full house and the Senate. Please take the time to write in or call your local representative and Senator and tell them you want to see these brought to the floor for a vote.
As a refresher, Rachel's Law returns to the parents the right to make decisions regarding their minor child's treatment for substance abuse or mental health. Currently, at age 13 they have the right to refuse treatment, regardless of the parents wishes.
The Enhanced Sentencing bill would give prosecutors the option of filing negligent homicide or involuntary manslaughter charges against those persons who sell drugs to a person that subsequently dies from their use. Currently, Washington only had a homicide be drug abuse law that is so difficult to prosecute it is never used. This new bill would allow for the prosecution of the person who sold Rachel the drugs she used when she overdosed. Even though we know who did it, law enforcement is helpless to do anything to the person who sold or gave her the drugs.
Please take the time to contact your legislators by phone, mail or email.
Thank You