Just two months before his 30th birthday, St. Louis native and Navy veteran Derek lost his life to a 12-year battle with addiction. Derek graduated from college, earned an MBA, and proudly served our nation, but struggled with an addiction that began after he was prescribed powerful opioids for a football-related injury in high school. His mother, Kelly, is now a powerful voice in the fight against the opioid epidemic, sharing Derek’s story to warn others of the dangers of opioid painkillers.
As chairman of the appropriations subcommittee that funds the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), addressing the opioid epidemic has been a top pri-