“My daughter died of an overdose, I was with her until her last breath”

A mother whose daughter died of a cocaine overdose says she is channeling her grief into raising awareness about drug addiction in a bid to prevent others from suffering the way she did. Melissa Ledesma’s daughter Angel, 20, struggled with substance use for three years before she died of an overdose last June.

Melissa said: “I was a teenage mum, pregnant with my first daughter aged 17. Angel was my second born, followed by two boys. I once struggled with substance use, which started in my 20s after my best friend was killed. by a drunk driver.

“I struggled with cocaine addiction for two years before I got sober. Shortly after I got sober, I met Angel’s father, who was making meth, and started using it with him. she was 25, a year before her fourth child.

“With or without drugs, our marriage was volatile and abusive, with numerous domestic violence arrests against me and countless orders of protection. We divorced in 2011, remarried and eventually divorced again.”

Melissa said that when Angel was little, they were exceptionally close. However, their relationship became strained as Angel grew up.

“Angel faced severe bullying and struggled with ADHD in her early school years. Until she was medicated at the end of second grade, she had difficulty retaining anything she learned. We worked on her homework every night until we were both exhausted and in tears. Despite the challenges. , she always felt comfortable coming to me with her problems,” Melissa said.

“When Angel started taking medication and we moved to get away from the abuse, he started to flourish. However, after I remarried, her behavior problems resurfaced. By age 11, he faced serious mental health challenges, resulting in multiple hospitalizations.

“As he grew older, he became involved in criminal activities, further straining our relationship.” Melissa first discovered her daughter was using drugs when Angel was 17 years old. Initially, she had no idea of ​​the severity of her child’s addiction.

“I wasn’t naive about teenagers experimenting, so I suspected that Angel was up to something, but not to the extent that it turned out to be. It was only when Angel was 18 and my eldest daughter warned me that she shouldn’t. give Angel money while funding his heroin habit, that I really understood the gravity of what was going on,” Melissa added.

“Angel’s addiction was short, fast and fierce. She always looked and acted the same until suddenly she didn’t, and when she changed, it was drastic.” Melissa tried everything to help her daughter.

At first, she believed in tough love, believing that constant lecturing and withholding money would keep Angel from buying drugs. However, this approach only caused Angel to run away from home. While living on the streets, Angel would occasionally text Melissa from unknown numbers, saying, “Mom, I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Then all communication stopped, even on Mother’s Day and Melissa’s birthday. After months of no contact, Melissa finally found Angel, who returned home and entered rehab, staying sober for eight months before dying.

“I was on my way home from work on Friday June 2nd 2023. Before I left I asked Angel if she would be okay alone and she assured me she would be fine as her brother Aiden would be home soon. Angel left. shortly before Aiden returned, taking only his phone and leaving his charger behind. When she didn’t respond to my messages, I made a post on Facebook and she finally commented.

“But by Saturday, his phone was gone and still gone. Monday morning I haven’t heard from her,” Melissa said. The family was unaware that someone had called for help from a hotel, reporting that a young woman had been found unresponsive in a bathroom.

On Monday afternoon, the police arrived at the house, explaining that they had received a call from the hospital. “When we got to the hospital, Angel was on life support with no change since she was brought. Tests confirmed he was completely brain dead.

“It all happened so quickly. We all said our goodbyes as a family, then separately. When my sister arrived, she and I walked into the ward alone as they took us off life support. I lay with Angel until she took her last breath.

“She was struggling and shaking a little bit. I kept talking to her, and when I told her it was okay to go and promised her I would be fine, she died,” Melissa said.

While Angel’s death left a hole in Melissa’s life, she channeled her grief into advocacy. She recently transitioned from a 30-year career as a waitress to work as a recovery support specialist and uses her TikTok platform to raise awareness about drug addiction.

In her daughter’s memory, Melissa also founded Angels Sober Shack, an online store that sells clothing that promotes substance use disorder awareness, harm reduction, mental health and more.

It aims to support and educate others on critical issues. “The goal of Angels Sober Shack is to eventually create a non-profit sober living home for women ages 18-27 that will house two to four residents in a long-term program of 12- 18 months,” explained Melissa.

“Angels Sober Shack will help fund this initiative and provide work for residents, helping them re-enter the workforce until they can secure employment in the community. This dream envisions a supportive environment where women can achieve lasting sobriety and independence.”