I have to help her.
When I had first heard of her death, it was my first thought. I have to help her.
In my case, I was already too late. Earlier this year, I lost a close family member to fentanyl.
Fentanyl is one of the main killers within the opioid epidemic — an epidemic I knew little of before my family’s life was mangled by it.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 130 people died everyday from opioid-related drug overdoses in 2016 and 2017. Those who do not face addiction do not immediately associate danger with the epidemic, and this by itself is a danger to our community.
The Washington Post reported Cook County, Illinois to be the second-highest location in the United States with reports of fatal fentanyl overdoses in 2016.
The stigmas surrounding the opioid epidemic, as well as addiction, prevent those unaffected by it to be unsympathetic to the rise of deaths that come with it.
It’s a privilege to be oblivious to the opioid epidemic.
Educating yourself on the topic and doing more research on how to help those fighting addiction will aid Chicago communities tremendously. Advocating towards breaking down stigmas surrounding addiction will make it easier for those who need help to reach out.
Recovery is obtainable.
Vivian Pina, the Loop
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Taxpayers should be the ones marching
I went to a parochial school, where our class sizes were 40-plus, overcrowded by the Chicago Teachers Union standards.
The mission of our school was to educate its students, not to feed them. We had no nurses or social workers on staff, but we still managed to learn. Many of us, myself included, went on to earn advanced degrees in science, engineering and medicine.
How did we ever manage that?
Larry E. Nazimek, Logan Square
Does David Ross have what it takes?
So the Chicago Cubs went ahead and did it.
They hired an amateur dancer at half the salary of ex-Cubbie manager Joe Maddon.
While former Cubs catcher David Ross’s high profile (at least in Chicago) will serve him well, will his familiarity with the players prove to be a plus or minus? And will he have the nerve to call out one of his all stars the next time they make a mental error in the field or on the base paths?
Or will Ross find managing to be an even more daunting task than learning to rumba or cha-cha on “Dancing With the Stars”?
Bob Ory, Elgin
