Mother pledges to aid victims of substance abuse

Date: 1/26/2010

Jan. 27, 2010.

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



AGAWAM -- What is the appropriate time for a mother to say "Enough is enough!" to her son? Is it when he gets high and steals money or when he relapses after several stints in rehab or when helping turns to enabling?

Agawam resident Susan Hearn, a mother of three, including a 26-year-old heroin addict, has put her foot down and sworn to help other families of substance abusers. Hearn will share her story as part of a panel during Wednesday night's Agawam Community Forum on substance use and abuse, organized by City Councilor George Bitzas.

"I'm a mother of a heroin addict," Hearn said candidly during an interview with Reminder Publications. "David was a typical kid. My kids did DARE and we [my husband and I] talked [to them] about drugs. We didn't even know anybody that did drugs."

She explained that despite all her efforts, her son succumbed to peer pressure and became addicted to heroin eight years ago. Hearn has since started an anonymous group for parents of substance abusers called Parents Supporting Parents at Feeding Hills Congregational Church.

"I think the more I talk, if I get one person to hear me and they save somebody's life then it's worth it," she said of speaking publicly. "Substance abuse is a family issue, period. But you can't keep it to yourself. If you're struggling, there are not many places to turn."

Hearn said she hopes to help other parents and teens through her support group and at this week's forum.

Other panelists will include Police Chief Robert Campbell, School Superintendent Mary Czajkowski, Dr. Punyamurtula Kishore, founder of the National Library of Addictions, and representatives from the Hampden County Sheriff's Office and the Hampden County District Attorney's Office.

"Anything we can do to save one student is something we have to do," Czajkowski said. "There's no one single approach that's going to work to be proactive and keep kids safe, so this forum really is another option to reach out to try to educate parents and the community and reach out to students who may be struggling."

Czajkowski noted she meets regularly with the school district-wide support team, which focuses on the issues of substance use and abuse.

"People ask if [substance abuse] is really a problem in Agawam compared to other communities. We're not different," she said. "If someone says there isn't a problem, they have their heads in the sand."

Campbell agreed that substance abuse is a problem for some in Agawam. However, he believes the public's perception of the number of users in town has been "overblown."

"I firmly believe that my detectives have a pretty good handle of what's going on here," Campbell added.

He noted the most common forms of substance use and abuse are alcohol and marijuana.

"We must do something [to help educate Agawam's youth about drugs] and we can't do it alone," Bitzas said. "We must have educators, law enforcement and city officials working together to reach our goals [to reduce substance abuse]."

Hearn echoed his sentiments, adding that those abusing substances are not the only ones who need help.

"It's a family problem and we went through years of sleepless night and one day I was strong and my husband was weak and one day I was weak and my husband was strong," she explained. "You can't let it destroy your life."

When asked how Hearn's son feels about her speaking publicly about his addiction, she replied, "He said, 'Tell 'em like it is.'"

The Community Forum on Substance Use and Abuse will take place on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Agawam Middle School auditorium.