Two drivers have been charged with driving while impaired after an early Sunday morning crash that sent both of them to the hospital.
The allegedly drunken drivers collided on Smithtown Avenue in Ronkonkoma at about 3 a.m. According to the Suffolk County Police Department, 22-year-old Bohemia resident Thomas Boyer, who had been driving south on the road, crossed into the northbound lane in his 1997 Toyota and struck a 2001 Dodge.
Boyer was charged with driving while impaired by drugs and alcohol, police said, while the driver of the Dodge, 46-year-old Selden resident Timothy Miller, was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Police said both men were treated for serious, but non-life-threatening, injuries at Stony Brook University Hospital after the crash, which occurred between Marconi Avenue and Lakeland Avenue, adjacent to MacArthur Airport. They were to be arraigned at a later date.
Police impounded both the Toyota and the Dodge. The 5th Squad is investigating the two-car crash.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the squad at 631-854-8552.
Tracey Budd poses for a photo with her son Kevin Norris, who died of a heroin overdose in 2012. Photo from Tracey Budd
Tracey Budd’s son died of a heroin overdose in September 2012.
One year later, Budd, of Rocky Point, was asked to speak at the North Shore Youth Council. Since then, she’s ended up on a public service announcement, “Not My Child,” that’s shown in high schools and middle schools along the North Shore, aiding her in becoming an advocate for drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation. She also teamed up with another mother, Debbie Longo, of Miller Place, and the two have become advocates for prevention and rehabilitation along the North Shore.
It is because of their hard work and dedication to this issue on Long Island that they are 2015 Times Beacon Record Newspapers People of the Year.
“I made the decision not to be ashamed of how he passed away,” Budd said about her son. “Just from speaking that one time at North Shore Youth Council, it was so very healing for me, and so many things have come from that and taken me in a direction that I never thought I’d be in, but it seems like it’s my calling.”
Janene Gentile, a drug and alcohol counselor and executive director of the North Shore Youth Council, helped work on that PSA.
“It was very powerful,” she said. “It was walking her through her grief. She has a lot of courage.”
Budd, who is also a member of Families in Support of Treatment, pulled together as much information as she could, and this past October created a Facebook page — North Shore Drug Awareness Advocates — pooling together families from Rocky Point, Miller Place, Mount Sinai and Shoreham-Wading River to spread the word about the rising concern over dangerous drugs, like heroin, growing in popularity across the Island.
“It just seemed that so many people were inboxing me and asking me for help,” she said. “I created the page so we could have a centralized area where we share information, and organize meetings where the group could all meet up. I also organized meetings once a month so we could to teach people about advocacy.”
Having a 12-year-old daughter, Cristina Dimou attended the meetings to begin to gather information on the issue. About one week ago, someone Dimou knows suffered an unexpected overdose, she said. She immediately reached out to Budd asking for guidance.
Debbie Longo speaks at a Dan’s Foundation for Recovery event. Photo from Facebook
“She gave me three phone numbers telling me who to call for what and even gave me websites of rehabilitation centers,” Dimou said about Budd. “She checks up on me every day, asking me if I’m okay and what’s going on. I don’t know her personally, but she had a sense of urgency and a willingness to help. I think that speaks volumes.”
Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) said with Budd’s outspokenness and Longo’s long-standing knowledge of the issue, they’ll be successful in their efforts.
“These women put their energy, their anger, their frustration, their sorrow into something that is helpful to the community,” she said. “I think they’re going to do amazing work.”
Longo has been involved in advocacy across the Island for the last five years, after her son suffered an overdose 10 years ago. Since then, her son has recovered, and currently lives in Del Ray, Florida as a director of marketing for a rehabilitation center called Insight to Recovery.
She said she found sending her son out of state helped him recover, because once he was done with his treatment, he wasn’t going back to seeing the same people he knew when he was using.
But she too has been involved in outreach and drug abuse prevention, aside from being to co-administrator of Budd’s Facebook page.
“I get a call just about every day from a parent saying they have a kid that’s addicted and they don’t know what to do,” she said. “We’re losing kids left and right. We’re losing a generation, is what we’re losing.”
Longo is a part of a 501(c)3 not-for-profit program, Steered Straight, which spreads prevention in schools. Recovered addict Michael DeLeon leads the program.
“You can hear a pin drop in the auditorium, that’s how dynamic of a speaker he is,” she said. “I can’t tell you how many kids come up to us at the end of the program and say, ‘I have a problem.’”
Longo was the chapter coordinator for New York State for a website called The Addict’s Mom, and is currently the head of Before the Petals Fall, Magnolia Addiction Support’s New York chapter. She is a 12-step yoga teacher to recovering addicts, and does post-traumatic stress disorder programs to help those dealing with grief.
After leaving nursing to go into medical marketing for hospitals, Longo said she thought she’d know where to turn when she found out her son was an addict, but said she really didn’t know what to do.
“There was such a bad stigma about addiction that you didn’t want to talk about it — you kind of suffered in silence,” she said. “If I was a nurse and had these contacts and didn’t know what to do, the average mother may have no idea. I’m trying to open the community up to what we have here on the North Shore.”
Tracey Budd holds a picture of her son, Kevin Norris, at a Walk for Hope event. Photo from Tracey Budd
Longo has helped mothers like Sheila “Terry” Littler, of Rocky Point, whose son is a second-time recovering heroin addict. Currently, he is three months sober.
Knowing about treatment and where to get help, because it was something that started for her 13 years ago, Littler reached out to Longo for mental support.
“It was nice to have somebody else that’s gone through it to talk to, to know you’re not alone,” Littler said. “But at the same time, it’s sad that I’m not alone.”
When her son relapsed after being four and a half years sober, she reached out to Budd.
“It takes a lot of guts to come out in the open and do this and help people,” she said. “There are a lot of hurting people out there.”
She recently reached out to Longo about a friend of her son, who is a drug user, and the two were calling each other back and forth to find ways to overcome addiction.
“She cared to take the time to help me,” she said. “She spent a whole day doing that with me — that’s dedication right there.”
With the contacts Longo’s made with support centers and prevention agencies and Budd’s relationship with the county after creating the PSA, the two are teaming up to use their resources to form a coalition based on the Facebook page. It was also have the same name.
It’s in its early stages, but the hope is to help spread awareness about prevention through schools. As part of a coalition, Budd said, you can also apply for grants, which she hopes will help fund the spread of their advocacy.
“I felt Tracey was on the same path that I was on,” Longo said. “She is as tenacious as I am in what we’re trying to do.”
Longo said that she and Budd are trying to be vigilantes and have started Narcan training classes, like ones they’ve previously hosted in Miller Place and East Setauket, to continue to help fight the Island’s drug addiction problem. Narcan is a medication that stops opioid overdoses.
“I think together we’re a good team,” Budd said. “To me, you have a choice. You can either dig your head in the sand and be embarrassed that your child is an addict, or you can be proactive and say, ‘Enough of this, let’s help each other.’ When you speak to another parent that’s going through it, there’s a bond that you automatically create. In a way, I feel like my son is right there with me, helping these families. It’s very important to me, and I’m never going to stop doing it.”
People at an anti-drug forum stay afterward to learn how to use the anti-overdose medication Narcan. Above, someone practices spraying into a dummy’s nostrils. Photo by Elana Glowatz
The Suffolk County Police Department handed out dozens of overdose rescue kits in the Port Jefferson high school on Monday night, at the conclusion of a crowded drug abuse prevention forum geared toward educating parents.
“We have to double-down on prevention,” said Tim Sini, a deputy county commissioner for public safety who has recently been nominated for police commissioner.
People at an anti-drug forum stay afterward to learn how to use the anti-overdose medication Narcan. Above, Jim Laffey assembles a syringe. Photo by Elana Glowatz
He and other officials from the police department, medical examiner’s office and community spoke at the forum to inform parents about the dangers of drug abuse, including how kids get introduced to and hooked on drugs in the first place. Much of the discussion focused on opioid drugs, which include heroin as well as prescription painkillers like Vicodin and Percocet, and on the lifesaving Narcan, an anti-overdose medication that blocks opioid receptors in the brain and can stop an overdose of those types of drugs.
According to Dr. Scott Coyne, the SCPD’s chief surgeon and medical director, in the three years since Suffolk officers have been trained to administer Narcan — the well-known brand name for naloxone — they have used it successfully 435 times.
Attendees who stayed after the forum were able to register in the police department’s public Narcan program and receive a kit with two doses of the medication, which can be sprayed into an overdose victim’s nostrils.
Narcan training classes are coming up Want to learn how to use Narcan, the medication that stops an opioid overdose in its tracks? Training courses are taking place across Suffolk County over the next couple of months, including in Port Jefferson and in neighboring Centereach.
Narcan, the brand name of naloxone, blocks receptors in the brain to stop overdoses of drugs like heroin, Vicodin, Percocet, OxyContin or Demerol, among others. It can be administered through a nasal spray and will not cause harm if mistakenly given to someone who is not suffering an opioid overdose.
The local training sessions meet state health requirements, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services, and will teach trainees to recognize opioid overdoses, to administer Narcan and to take other steps until emergency medical personnel arrive on the scene. All participants will receive a certificate of completion and an emergency kit that includes Narcan.
The first course will be held on Monday, Dec. 14, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the county’s Office of Health Education in Hauppauge, at 725 Veterans Highway, Building C928. RSVP to 631-853-4017 or [email protected].
In Centereach, a course will take place on Friday, Jan. 15, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Middle Country library at 101 Eastwood Blvd. RSVP before Jan. 11 at [email protected]or at 631-585-9393 ext. 213.
Later that month, Hope House Ministries will host another Narcan training session in its facility at 1 High St. in Port Jefferson, in the Sister Aimee Room. That event, held in conjunction with the Port Jefferson ambulance company, will take place on Thursday, Jan. 28, at 10 a.m. Call 631-928-2377 for more information or register at https://pjvac.enrollware.com/enroll?id=952865.
Three’s company A 40-year-old woman, a 38-year-old man and a 58-year-old man all from Huntington were arrested for multiple charges inside a 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo on High Street in Huntington at 10:15 a.m. on Nov. 28. Police said the woman had cocaine and 19 hypodermic needles with heroin residue on them. She was charged with two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Police said the 38-year-old man was driving with a suspended license, was in possession of prescription pills without a prescription and had five glass pipes in his possession with cocaine residue on them. He was charged with loitering, unlawful use of a controlled substance and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. The 58-year-old man also has prescription pills in his possession without a prescription as well as needles and glass pipes with heroin residue, according to police. He was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a controlled substance and loitering.
Boxed out An unknown person took cash from a cardboard box inside a resident’s home on Bayberry Drive in Huntington on Nov. 24 at 9 a.m.
Infinite crimes in an Infiniti On Nov. 28, police said a 49-year-old from Huntington Station was speeding in a 2000 Infiniti and engaging in reckless driving on New York Avenue and West 22nd Street in Huntington. They also said he drove into oncoming traffic, through red lights and a railroad gate. He was arrested at 12:23 a.m. and charged with second-degree criminal mischief.
Knock out Police said a 22-year-old man from Huntington Station punched another man several times, causing swelling and pain on the corner of Main Street and Wall Street in Huntington at 2:45 a.m. on Nov. 26. He was arrested and charged with third-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury.
Doing time for the time On Nov. 26, police said a 62-year-old man from Huntington stole a black Lifestyle watch from Rite Aid on Main Street in Huntington at 12:15 p.m. He was arrested and charged with petit larceny.
No brain on Brian Court An unknown person stole a laptop, baseball bat and assorted baby items from an unlocked 2015 Nissan Altima parked on Brian Court in Northport on Nov. 23 at 9 a.m.
She knows the drill A 30-year-old woman from East Northport was arrested at the 2nd Precinct on Nov. 24 after police said she stole on multiple occasions. According to police, she stole multiple drills and DeWalt combo kits from Home Depot on New York Avenue in Huntington on Oct. 4 and Oct. 18. She was charged with petit larceny.
You’ve got mail Police said an unknown person damaged a letter in a resident’s mailbox on Sunken Meadow Road in Northport by tearing it in half on Nov. 25 at 8:30 a.m.
Crisis on the corner On Nov. 24, police said a 29-year-old woman from East Northport was in possession of prescription pills without a prescription and heroin on the corner of Town Line Road and Pulaski Road in East Northport at 2:25 p.m. She was arrested and charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
NoPro An unknown person stole a GoPro Silver from a 2003 Saturn VUE parked on Larkfield Road in East Northport after they broke in through the passenger side window on Nov. 26 at 11 a.m.
Jewelry in jeopardy Police said an unknown person stole jewelry that was left on a table at the Smithtown Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing Care at 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 29.
No license on the LIE A 23-year-old woman from Calverton was arrested on the Long Island Expressway in Commack at 3 a.m. on Nov. 30 after police said she was driving without a license and had a hypodermic instrument and marijuana on her. She was charged with fifth degree criminal possession of marijuana and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
Woes at Walmart On Nov. 24, a 34-year-old woman from Brentwood was arrested after police said she took children’s clothing, health and beauty items and food from a Walmart on Crooked Hill Road in Commack at 3 p.m. She was charged with petit larceny.
Mazda madness An unknown person stole change from a 2007 Mazda parked on Tanglewood Drive in Smithtown and a 2015 Mazda parked on Crescent Place in Smithtown on Nov. 23 at 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.
Motor Parkway mistakes A 30-year-old woman from Bay Shore was arrested after police said she was driving without a license on Motor Parkway in Smithtown in a 2015 Hyundai on Nov. 25 at 11:30 a.m. She was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
U-wrong on U-turn On Nov. 24, a 37-year-old woman from Deer Park was arrested after police said she made an unsafe U-turn in a 2015 Ford and then drove straight in a right-turn-only lane at midnight on Jericho Turnpike in Commack and then discovered she was driving drunk. She was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Blurred Lines A 27-year-old man from Port Jefferson was arrested on Nov. 26 at 12:50 a.m. after police said he failed to maintain his lane of traffic on Main Street in Smithtown while driving a 2006 Ford and then discovered he was driving drunk. He was charged with driving while intoxicated.
A man of substance A 27-year-old man from Port Jefferson was arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance on Nov. 28. Police said the man had two bags of heroin, as well as cocaine and a hypodermic needle. He was arrested on the corner of Gaymore Road and Ardmer Drive in Port Jefferson Station.
Passport to jail Police arrested a Port Jefferson Station driver for criminal impersonation on Nov. 24, after the 39-year-old woman allegedly used another person’s passport when officials pulled her over and issued her a ticket. She used the identification to sign her permission for authorities to search the vehicle, according to police. She was arrested at the scene, on Route 25A in Rocky Point.
Swimming in a cell Police arrested a 23-year-old man from Port Jefferson for petit larceny on Nov. 27, four months after he stole pool-cleaning supplies from Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies on Veterans Memorial Highway in Commack. The crime happened on July 13, and officers arrested the suspect at his residence.
Jewelry heist A 35-year-old woman from Miller Place was arrested for criminal possession of stolen property at her home on Nov. 25, about a month after she allegedly tried to sell more than $1,000-worth of stolen jewelry on Middle Country Road in Coram.
What a tool On Nov. 23, a 38-year-old man from Ronkonkoma was arrested for petit larceny after he stole assorted tools from a mechanic at the Double “N” Automotive shop on Mark Tree Road in Centereach.
Drunk munchies lead to crash A 20-year-old man from St. James in a 1998 Subaru hit another car in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant along Route 347 in Stony Brook on Nov. 25, and police said while he was being interviewed about the crash, they discovered he was intoxicated. The man was arrested for driving while ability impaired.
Lax security A 31-year-old woman from Northport was arrested for grand larceny on Nov. 27 after she disabled the security devices on several pieces of merchandise at the Kohl’s on Route 25A in Rocky Point and then left the store without paying. Officials arrested the woman at the scene.
Taking a bonus Police arrested a 51-year-old man from Blue Point on Nov. 28 when he attempted to steal money from a cash register at the Walmart on Nesconset Highway in Setauket. A Walmart employee detained the man, who also worked at the store. He was charged with petit larceny.
Clothing kidnapper A 27-year-old woman from Bay Shore was arrested on Nov. 28 for petit larceny after she entered a store on Nesconset Highway in Stony Brook and walked out with an armful of clothes. Police arrested the woman at the scene.
Forgot a stamp Police said someone broke a mailbox and its post on Jefferson Boulevard in Port Jefferson Station on Nov. 25. According to officials, the homeowners heard a crash outside their home when their mailbox was damaged.
Breaking bottles An unidentified man hit another man with a bottle on Nov. 26, lacerating his cheek. The suspect fled the scene, on Route 25A in Port Jefferson.
Fishy excuse On Nov. 29, an unknown man ordered $258 worth of sushi from a restaurant on Route 25A in Miller Place, but when the man went to pick up the food, he told restaurant employees that he left his wallet in his car. The man took the food and fled the scene without paying.
Dirty crime Between 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 25 and 10 a.m. on Nov. 26, an unidentified person stole three dirt bikes from a residence on Lower Rocky Point Road in Sound Beach.
Hungry robber According to police, someone kicked and broke the front glass door of the Centereach Deli on Middle Country Road, then pried the door open to enter the store and stole cash. The incident happened on Nov. 29.
Grinch Someone stole a Santa Claus lawn decoration from a residence on Liberty Avenue in Selden, sometime between Nov. 28 and 29.
A man in a mask stole prescription narcotics from a North Shore pharmacy on Sunday afternoon, according to police.
The incident started at about 1:30 p.m., when the suspect entered a Shop Rite on the south side of Nesconset Highway in Hauppauge, near the intersection with Route 111, the Suffolk County Police Department said. The man, clad in a ski mask and sunglasses, went to the pharmacy counter and demanded the drugs, and an employee complied.
Police said the man did not threaten violence or display a weapon during the robbery. He fled on foot, going south toward Route 111.
According to police, the suspect has been described as a white male with a medium build who is between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall. He was wearing a dark-colored sweatshirt and khaki pants at the time of the crime.
Detectives from the SCPD’s Pattern Crime Unit are investigating the robbery. Anyone with information is asked to call Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 800-220-TIPS.
A motorcyclist was killed on Saturday afternoon when a young man who was allegedly on drugs crashed a car into his bike.
Two days after Thanksgiving, the Suffolk County Police Department said, 56-year-old Thomas Heissen Buttel was riding a 1972 Harley-Davidson north on Old Town Road when he was struck by a vehicle whose driver had been trying to make a left onto Hyson Way in Coram, just south of Hawkins Road.
The motorcyclist, a South Setauket resident, died from his injuries at Stony Brook University Hospital, police said, while the driver of the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta that struck him, 22-year-old Port Jefferson Station resident Sabelo Ndala, was not hurt.
Police charged Ndala with driving while impaired by drugs, operating a vehicle without an interlock device and second-degree aggravated unlicensed driving. He was arraigned the next day.
The suspect is listed as defending himself in the New York State court system’s online database and could not be reached for comment.
According to the database, Ndala had a previous drunk driving charge against him, dating back to February, to which he pleaded guilty. His license was revoked for 18 months in that case and he was mandated to use an interlock device on his vehicle, which prevents the car from operating unless a sober person breathes into the device, for three years.
After Saturday’s crash, police impounded both the Jetta and the Harley-Davidson for safety checks.
Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call detectives from the SCPD’s Vehicular Crime Unit at 631-852-6555.
Police allege a pregnant woman was on drugs when she overturned and crashed her car in Kings Park the night before Thanksgiving.
The 26-year-old, Danielle Wisnieski, who is also 26 weeks pregnant, according to the Suffolk County Police Department, was driving north on Indian Head Road at the time of the crash. Police said she lost control of the vehicle, a 2003 Cadillac Escalade, near the intersection with Old Northport Road and overturned just after 8 p.m.
Paramedics treated her at the scene, police said, and administered Narcan, a medication that is used to block the effects of opioids like heroin and Vicodin and is commonly used to reverse overdoses.
The driver, a Kings Park resident, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. The passenger in her car, a 34-year-old Kings Park resident, was treated for minor injuries as well at Huntington Hospital.
No other cars were involved in the crash.
Wisnieski was arrested and charged with driving while impaired by drugs.
Attorney information for the suspect was not immediately available, and she was scheduled to be arraigned at a later date.
Debra Bauer at a recent Sachem Public Library Local Author Fair with husband Stephen and daughters, from left, Jennifer and Lisa. Photo from Debra Bauer
By Rita J. Egan
While working on her first book, “Through a Family’s Eyes: A True Story,” Debra Lindner Bauer from Ronkonkoma wrote her way out of the darkest period in her life. For years, the former stay-at-home mom now grandmother, was overcome by grief after the tragic death in 2007 of her 27-year-old son, Stephen J. Bauer Jr.
In the book, the author presents a raw and honest look at what family members, especially parents, endure after the loss of a young person. Bauer is frank about her experiences and feelings after the motor vehicle accident that took her son’s life, and in addition to her own writings, she included contributions from family members and friends, which provide a larger picture of the depth of loss.
Bauer, who admits she cried nonstop for three years, said in a recent interview, “There isn’t a day that goes by that my husband and I, and all of us, don’t miss him.”
The writer said she and her family will never know exactly what happened on that icy night, but from what emergency workers could decipher, Steve’s car slid on the ice and hit a mailbox and then a tree. The young man, who was on his way to meet his father to help him plow, hit the side glass of his vehicle and bled out, outside his truck.
Debra Bauer with her pooches, from left, Cody, Mustang Sally and Brandy. Photo from Bauer
After receiving a call from her son’s girlfriend at 10:30 p.m. on the night of Feb. 25, 2007, Bauer and her husband, Stephen, raced to the scene of the accident. Emergency personnel couldn’t allow them to go near their son at the site of the accident, so Bauer followed them to the hospital. When she arrived, the nurse told her that they had just cleaned Steve up, and she could talk to him. After a few minutes, the nurse informed her that the doctors were ready to work on him, but the health professional checked his pulse and found he had none.
“There our journey began,” Bauer said. The accident devastated the writer, her husband and their two daughters, Jennifer and Lisa. “You’re never the same again,” she said.
After the passing of her son, Bauer was overwhelmed by the amount of people who offered their condolences and support. One subject the writer touches on in her book is some of the things people say to someone who has lost a loved one, both appropriate and inappropriate.
“I don’t take it personally, because they don’t know what to say to you,” Bauer said.
The author admitted that a few people said insensitive things, such as that she should be happy because at least she had her son for 27 years. She suggested that, when people don’t know what to say, to just hug the person, even though she said it brightens her day when someone mentions Stephen by name and a memory of him. She explained that the first few years, people would be a bit uncomfortable when she would bring up his name.
The author also suggested that a great way to help a grieving family is by dropping off some home-cooked food or picking up groceries instead of flowers. She said families receive so many flowers after a loved one passes that sometimes they go to waste. After her son’s funeral, Bauer brought the flowers home and set them on her lawn because she couldn’t bear to just throw them out.
The author said that even though it’s still difficult, the first few years were the hardest. Bauer said she couldn’t get off the couch, turned to alcohol and even prescription pills. While she’s been clean for 4 years now, she admits to being addicted to Percocet for 3 years.
“I have come a very long way, and I’m lucky to be alive to tell the story too,” Bauer said.
Writing the book provided a way of managing her pain that was even better than exercising or social activities, according to the author. Earlier in the writing process, Bauer didn’t even use a computer, because she said she never had the patience to learn how to use one.
She started recording her memories of her son’s life, and her feelings about his passing, a year-and-a-half after losing him, by writing them down on paper. When she completed her writings, her sister-in-law Kathy typed them up and edited them. After she sent the manuscript to the publisher, it was in their hands for two years and Bauer had to work on 13 revisions.
Now that the book is released, the author is proud that she realized she had to do more than sit around on the couch and has been able to share her son’s story.
“Everybody says you’re so happy, you glow now. I accomplished something huge in my life,” she said.
Even her 16-year-old grandson, who recently read the book about his father, said after he finished, “You’ve come a long way, Grandma.”
Bauer continues to keep herself busy promoting her book and is currently designing sympathy cards for those who have lost a child. The writer said that she and others who have lost children have found that there aren’t many suitable cards for parents.
While Bauer admits that things will never be the same for her and her family, she now knows that things can improve. The writer is feeling better than she has in a long time, and she hopes that parents who share her sorrow will read “Through a Family’s Eyes” so they know that they are not alone. She also hopes that parents who haven’t experienced such a tragedy will read the book so they can understand what a family goes through and have more empathy.
“People can learn things. Maybe they can be even more appreciative of their kids,” she said.
Bauer’s advice to other grieving parents is, “Find something that makes you happy. I think writing is great therapy. They could always use new books out there — true stories. There might be people that just want to hear your story, especially if it’s true.”
“Through a Family’s Eyes: A True Story” is available on Amazon.com and at www.debralindnerbauer.com for $23.
Smithtown Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Bradshaw. File photo by Rachel Shapiro
On Tuesday, Dec. 1, Smithtown Central School District, in conjunction with the Suffolk County Police Department, its PTAs and Project Presence, will host an important community forum, “The Ugly Truth: Heroin and Prescription Drug Education and Awareness.”
The forum, which is open to all Smithtown community residents, begins at 7 p.m. at Smithtown High School West, 100 Central Road, Smithtown. Content to be discussed is most appropriate for children aged 15 years and older.
During the event, attendees will be provided with information on the dangers of prescription medication and heroin abuse, how to recognize the signs of drug abuse among teenagers and tools and actions parents can take to help their child.
The program will also feature a question and answer period and training on Narcan, a prescription medication that can reverse an overdose by blocking the effects of opioids. Additionally, SCPD’s Operation Medicine Cabinet will be on hand to safely discard expired or unwanted prescription medication.
“Our goal is to increase education and awareness and build protective factors and preventative skills for families with a series of follow-up workshops,” said Jennifer Bradshaw, Smithtown Central School District assistant superintendent for instruction.
The issue of drug abuse will be brought to the forefront in a few weeks, as the Port Jefferson Village Board of Trustees dedicates its next meeting to a community discussion on the topic.
That meeting on Dec. 7 is being moved to Earl L. Vandermeulen High School, where school, village and police officials will meet for a forum called The Ugly Truth.
“Although we have all read and heard the headlines about heroin in our neighborhoods and the dangers of easy access to powerful prescription medication, we rarely hear The Ugly Truth behind these headlines,” according to a flyer advertising the joint event.
Suffolk County Police Department officials, including the chief medical examiner and a school resource officer, will tell parents the signs of heroin and prescription drug abuse among teenagers and what can be done about it.
The village trustees will hold their work session meeting at 6 p.m. that day at the high school on Old Post Road, then attend the forum at 7 p.m. in lieu of holding a public comment period at Village Hall as usual. The public comment period will instead be held at the board’s following meeting, on Dec. 21.
Drug addiction and abuse is a topic that hits home in all Long Island communities, but it has been a particular point of friction in Port Jefferson and Port Jefferson Station because of a visible homeless population and the presence of various community services catering to that group, such as a soup kitchen network and a homeless shelter.
Prev
