A US mother has shared the final image of her daughter before she was taken off life support, in a bid to raise awareness of the heartbreak caused by drug addiction.
Cheryl Towery released the image to local media outlet Fox 2, vowing to ‘fight for the rest of her life’ for the cause.
Cheryl’s daughter, Elaina, was just 22 years old when she was found in a local Burger King last week, in cardiac arrest. The mother-of-one reportedly overdosed on heroin.
Elaina was rushed to Sinai-Grace Hospital, in her native Detroit, where she was put on life support. Sadly, however, she passed away just four days later.
According to Cheryl, Elaina had been fighting drug addiction for seven years and ‘gave up’ her son, Christopher, to give him a chance at a better life.
The devastated mother revealed that, despite everything that had gone before, she was totally broken by the sight of her daughter in that hospital bed.
“I wasn’t prepared for what I saw in the emergency room, because that’s the worst I’ve ever seen her,” she told Fox.
“She’s my only daughter, my best friend. She was supposed to start her new job today, now she’s on life support.
“I’m going to fight for the rest of my life to make sure the people down here on the street selling this to people are locked up.”
The harrowing image of Cheryl embracing her daughter for the final time has sent shockwaves throughout the Internet, going viral.
Our thoughts are with Cheryl and her family at this time. We acknowledge her bravery in sharing this image, and we have no doubt that it will save lives.
