Widow Shares Unusual Photo From Husband's Funeral To Raise Awareness About Drug Addiction

By SheSpeaksTeam Sep 18, 2015

In an effort to raise awareness about drug addiction and the struggles many families face, one Ohio mom, Eva Holland, posted a very unusual photograph to her Facebook. The picture, which has since gone viral, shows both she and her two children standing in front of the open casket of her recently deceased husband who succumbed to a long battle with a heroin and prescription pill addiction.

CBS News reports about the photograph and how Holland hopes the image will drive home the reality of what this type of addiction can do. Holland is aware that the photo is probably controversial and won’t sit well with some. She writes in the caption, “I'm sure this photo makes a lot of people uncomfortable it may even piss a few people off but the main reason I took it was to show the reality of addiction.” She adds, “I know a lot of people may be upset I'm putting it out in the open like This but hiding the facts is only going to keep this epidemic going. The cold hard truth is heroin kills. You may think it will never happen to you but guess what that's what Mike thought too.”

Holland goes on to explain how her husband, Mike’s, heroin addiction began the way it does for many people, after becoming addicted to prescription pain pills. And though he was successful at staying sober for a while after a stint in rehab, he fell off the wagon a couple of months ago after taking a single pain pill for a toothache and began using again. She hopes that by being so open and letting people see just what this does to families will help to at least get a dialogue going.

Unfortunately, Mike’s story is not at all unique and the CDC reports that in the last decade heroin addiction has doubled in the 18 - 25 age group. And what’s even more typical of Mike’s story is that it all started with a prescription pain pill addiction which reportedly makes a person 40% more likely to become addicted to heroin.

What do you think of the photograph that this grieving widow posted to her Facebook?

Do you think it will send a message about the reality of drug addiction within families?

Make a Comment

Comments

by AlexBornt | Newark, NJ

Nov 19, 2021

A funeral is always very awful. And even in such a situation, children can react in very different ways since their psyche is very different from the psyche of an adult. I know this from my own experience since I attended my uncle's funeral two months ago. His wife did not look broken and was very strong, and she also organized the funeral. Everything went well thanks to the advice of the Trustedcaskets company.

by lovelyprincess | MEMPHIS, TN

Oct 23, 2015

I feel her pain and I don't mind her posting her picture. Sometimes you have to show the truth instead of hiding the facts and sugar coat everything. I lost a good friend to drugs and I feel that her parents was doing more harm by covering up everything and in the end she lost her life to drugs and depression. If her family would have gotten her the proper help and stop saying depression is for crazy people who needs meds my friend would probably still be here. And now we are left with the pieces and it's even harder for me because I'm carrying her child she wanted to have one day and she will never get a chance to hold her precious baby boy.

by OhSheGotCakez | LORAIN, OH

Sep 23, 2015

I don't condone posting photos of the dead... not only do I think it's disrespectful to he who passed but not everyone (like me) is okay with death in such a capacity. but if it raised awareness I suppose it's alright. Drug use is an epidemic and it can tear a family apart. I understand her position. Her children are now fatherless. Sad.