The faces and stories below are a snapshot of the devastating opioid epidemic sweeping across the United States. Publicly acknowledging that a family member suffered from an addiction to drugs, or died of an overdose, has long been a taboo subject — one best kept secret among family and a few knowing friends. That is changing.

As the death toll from the opioid crisis mounts, families are increasingly weaving desperate warnings into the obituaries of loved ones about the horror that can result when people abuse painkillers, heroin, and synthetic drugs such as fentanyl.

Many words of remembrance have been transformed into pleas for help — directed at lawmakers, families suffering similar experiences, and the general public. Families are using these public notices to push for better and more treatment options while spreading the message that addiction is a disease and not something to be endured in shameful silence.

STAT searched Legacy.com and other sources and selected excerpts from the obituaries of 52 people who died in 2016. In every case, the families of these mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and even grandmothers decided to make their loved one’s struggle with opioids public in the death notice.

Each person represents the estimated 636 Americans who die on average each week from an opioid-related overdose (based on 2015 data).

Some of the writings are brutally honest. The victims were in and out of jail, often for stealing to support their habit. They could be destructive forces, tearing apart families. There were false hopes produced by periods of sobriety following treatment, only to be followed by relapse.

The victims were found in the woods, in a low-budget hotel, a dorm room, and at home. On the same day in June, two brothers fatally overdosed. In November, a mother lost a third son to an opioid overdose.

Those who succumbed to opioids were also full of hope and promise. They served their country in the armed forces. They were college students, aspiring musicians, athletes, chefs, a race car driver, a high school student, an auto mechanic, a bank employee, and the son of a former US congressman.

They lived in every part of the country, from Arizona to Maine. They are predominantly in their 20s and 30s and white. (The obituaries referencing opioid use are striking for the absence of people of color. That may be in part due to the fact that 8 in 10 people fatally overdosing on opioids are non-Hispanic whites, according to government data.)

Here are their stories:

Chad James Heaven (Jan. 5)

28 years old
Army sergeant
Palmyra, New York

Sadly, Chad’s journey through life included experimenting with drugs. He fought his heroin addiction for the last 10 years. Chad’s family would like to raise awareness of this devastating epidemic … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Kevin Outen (Jan. 10)

24 years old
Enjoyed baseball and fishing
Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania

He successfully completed drug rehab several times, but the craving that comes from true addiction was more than he could overcome. If there is someone in your life battling addiction reach out to them. So many lives are lost every day. The stigma of embarrassment and denial must be overcome … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/York Daily Record)

Ryan Phelps (Feb. 11)

30 years old
Computer science degree
Akron, Ohio

Please, if you’re struggling with any addiction, remember there is help available to you. Your family loves you and people want to help you. You can beat this. Don’t make your family bury you and feel they didn’t do enough. This could be you! Love yourself, love your family … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Akron Beacon Journal)

Gregory W. Colla (Feb. 12)

22 years old
College student
South Windsor, Connecticut

Greg fought a year long, off and on, battle with heroin addiction. … He was set to graduate from UCONN in May, 2016 with a degree in Civil Engineering … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Hartford Courant)

Kory Baker (Feb. 21)

33 years old
Army medic
Rochester, Minnesota 

What started innocently, quickly moved into pain pills, and culminated in heroin. … As painful as it is to write these words, we want the world to know that heroin addiction needs to be an issue at the forefront of our lives. This is an epidemic with an upward trajectory. If you’re using pain meds like OxyContin, please know that they are incredibly dangerous, and can easily lead to heroin … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/The Post-Bulletin)

Michael T. Brandon (Feb. 21)

27 years old
Fitness buff
Norwich, Connecticut

Mike tried his best to take the steps to change the course of his life but ultimately the enemy schemes and out smarts even the most creative and savvy individuals; as it did to our Mike. Heroin defiles the brain and the person suffers with more and more inability to make sound decisions and follow directions to save himself … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Norwich Bulletin)

Sean Tyler Stem (March 29)

26 years old
Talented skateboarder
Burlington, Vermont

Those in the know about addiction, especially heroin, must share what they know. Families, friends, and the community have to share their pain, their struggles, so others may know and feel less alone, less confused, less shame. Sean’s family can only hope that his death will not be in vain. Can we all, please, come together, love each other? Tear down whatever obstacles are in the way of reaching out, obstacles of fear, loneliness, shame, stigma, and join other friends and family members who see the ramifications of this drug and feel as powerless as we do … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Burlington Free Press)

Samantha Henehan (April 10)

23 years old
Bank employee
Scranton, Pennsylvania

She was kind and loving to all who knew her and was quick to lend a hand to all who were struggling with the disease of addiction. Sammi was beautiful inside and out, the apple of her mother’s eye, and never spoke a harsh word about anyone … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Scranton Times)

Andrew Joseph Lessard (April 10)

24 years old
College student
Austin, Texas

Andy had enrolled in community college in August of 2015, studying Power Technology and was finally on a good path. He received a 4.0 in the fall semester, something he was immensely proud of. He retreated back into depression and anxiety in the spring semester of 2016, finally succumbing to a fatal heroin overdose … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Santa Clarita Valley Signal)

Zafer Julian Estill (April 14)

19 years old
College student
Pittsboro, North Carolina

He studied business at University of Colorado at Boulder. He loved fashion, and fine things, and worked a wide number of jobs, from archaeological surveying to carpentry to sustain his high-flying lifestyle … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/The News & Observer)

Scott Sousa (April 26)

28 years old
Restaurant and construction worker
Rochester, New Hampshire

Recently, Scott was on a wait listed to enter a clinic designed to help people overcome drug addictions. He was looking forward to starting his life over. Like many addicts waiting for intervention, Scott’s addiction led to his drug arrest landing him in the Rockingham County jail in Brentwood, N.H. It was here that Scott was discovered unresponsive April 21. Knowing that bringing light to where there is darkness helps one heal, Scott’s parents opted to turn their tragedy into a gift of life for others. Their son became a hero April 26 donating to others awaiting lifesaving transplants … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Seacoastonline.com)

Travis A. Colton (April 27)

29 years old
Entrepreneur
Russellton, Pennsylvania

Travis battled a demon for roughly the last seven years. She made him feel inspiration for only a brief moment in time and then she was gone. Travis chased her and she had his heart. He fought to leave her and eventually left her many times and was better, but she always made her way back into his presence and the cycle would repeat itself. Eventually she took Travis’s life. Heroin. She has taken the lives of many. We are not alone. This is an epidemic that is in fact a disease and it needs to be treated as such … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/The Valley News Dispatch)

Kathryn Virginia Sophia Mason (May 14)

19 years old
Equestrian
Nashville, Tennessee

Katy’s bright future was lost to a life of drug addiction, starting at the age of 15. The epidemic state of drug addiction is the country’s biggest problem at this time, rapidly taking the lives of our children … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/The Tennessean)

Elizabeth D. Blunt (May 25)

22 Years Old
Athlete and musician
West Chicago, Illinois

Beth loved sports. She played soccer and volleyball and loved cheering for the Blackhawks. She loved the outdoors. She loved music. She played the piano, flute, guitar, and sang beautifully … read more

(Source: Legacy.com)

James H. Helmer (May 25)

38 years old
Race car driver
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin

James started using prescription pain medication and became addicted. He turned to heroin to try to make himself feel better because the pain of withdrawal was so sickening. … Heroin was more powerful than words a mother could say to her dying son; more powerful than a five year old boy could say to his dying dad. It is strong but it can be beat. Don’t wait until tomorrow … read more

(Source: Legacy.com)

Lisa Marie Andreana (June 1)

22 years old
Accomplished pianist
Newington, Connecticut

It is the family’s hope that the cruel disease of addiction will trend toward a broader degree of acceptance and de-stigmatization and a sense of urgency will be brought to this brutal health crisis affecting so many families. Lisa was a strong willed young lady who tried to fight addiction her way but ultimately lost the battle … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Hartford Courant)

Daniel M. Wheeler (June 2)

34 years old
Cook
Sylvania Township, Ohio

No one sets out to be a heroin addict, Dan did his best, he will be forever loved, missed, and remembered … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Toledo Blade)

Jonathan Woodbury (June 11)

33 years old
Older brother fatally overdosed on same day
Pembroke, Massachusetts

Lost his battle with addiction on June 11, 2016. Loving father … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Patriot Ledger)

Michael Woodbury (June 11)

37 years old
Younger brother fatally overdosed on same day
Pembroke, Massachusetts

Lost his battle with addiction on June 11, 2016. Beloved son … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Patriot Ledger)

Jason Philip Rynearson (July 4)

34 Years Old
Chef
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

This handsome, bright, and caring young man was taken from all of us, much too soon. If you know someone struggling with addiction or have lost someone to it and are searching for help, below are some, of the many organizations that are available … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Fond du Lac Reporter)

Alec Clayton Howe Dougan (July 6)

23 years old
Poet/music enthusiast
Manchester, Connecticut

Alec loved spending time with his family and could get us all laughing so hard we had tears in our eyes. He had a chance to do that the weekend before he died, at a big Saturday wedding with his father’s side of the family. Sunday was spent at a 4th of July picnic with his mom’s side. … I thought we had made it to the other side; but it was just his last gift to us, and I thank him for that. He relapsed in the following days … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Hartford Courant)

Samantha Joanne Grajcar (July 12)

22 years old
Daughter
Newington, Connecticut

She is also survived by a lifetime of schoolmates, close friends and tons of people in and out of recovery. Some of whom are still struggling with addiction … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Palm Beach Post)

Tanita Landry (July 14)

31 years old
Singer and songwriter
Salem, New Hampshire

She was a talented singer, songwriter and artist and she was an excellent athlete. Tanita enjoyed playing the guitar and loved animals … read more

(Source: Legacy.com/Union Leader)