A Father's Struggle With Heroin

While the nature of addiction continues to be debated, families of addicts are witnesses to its destruction. An addict’s allegiance to drugs and alcohol leave little room for the pain and suffering of others.

Few people have the courage to confront the addicts in their lives, as high schooler Janesse Nieves does in this story. Janesse was one of the first Radio Rookies. This initiative to train urban youth to tell their own stories was launched more than a decade ago at WNYC Radio in New York.

I was directing interactive media at WNYC when the Radio Rookies program and website took off. I am grateful to have witnessed the evolution of the program and all the kids who were courageous enough to tell their own stories - like Janesse, who confronts her father about his heroin addiction.

Janesse is now in her twenties and living in Louisiana. She’s had her own struggles with heroin over the intervening years. Today she is clean and in her third year of pre-med at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. As for her dad, he’s been in and out of jail and rehab, but has now been clean for more than three years. He’s even quit smoking cigarettes. Thanks to my former colleagues, Marianne McCune and Czerina Patel, for the updates.

(Photo of Janesse Nieves courtesy Public Radio Exchange)