A remarkably open account of opioid addiction in a young Vermont womanâs obituary is shining a light on the struggle of those trying to escape the drugâs grasp.
The obituary for Madelyn Linsenmeir, 30,
âWhile her death was unexpected, Madelyn suffered from drug addiction, and for years we feared her addiction would claim her life,â the obituary begins. âWe are grateful that when she died, she was safe and she was with her family.â
Linsenmeir was born and raised in Vermont, but moved to Florida briefly to attend a high school for the performing arts. It was there where she tried OxyContin for the first time.
âAnd so began a relationship with opiates that would dominate the rest of her life,â the obituary continues.
Linsenmeir had her first child Ayden in 2014 and while she loved her son dearly, ultimately her addiction caught up with her once again.
âMaddie tried harder and more relentlessly to stay sober than we have ever seen anyone try at anything, but she relapsed and ultimately lost custody of her son, a loss that was unbearable,â the obituary states.
After losing her child, Linsenmeirâs addiction spiralled into a dark place, but things began to look up this summer when she returned home for a 12-day span and remained mostly sober during that time. This gave her family hope that she would âovercome her disease and make the life for herself we knew she deserved.â
âWe believed this until the moment she took her last breath,â the obituary continues. âHer addiction stalked her and stole her once again. Though we would have paid any ransom to have her back, any price in the world, this disease would not let her go until she was gone.â
The obituary has gained traction online for the writerâs raw and honest description of Linsenmeirâs life.
One Twitter user called the account while another called it an