Our family has lived in Flagler County for 15 years. We moved here while our four children were still in elementary school.

In 1992, our 16 year old decided to move north to live with his birth mother. During that year we received telephone calls and letters with raving reviews of how wonderful he was doing. Then we received a call from his aunt that truly changed our lives forever.

She told us that if we didn�t get him into rehab and back home, that he would die from drugs. Mom and son were doing heroin.

Gabriel went through rehab, returned to his family, attended a 12 step program and got his life back. He got a job, his G.E.D. diploma, and bought a nice car.

Try he would. But we began to notice a pattern. He would succeed for about 2 months. Then he would get in minor trouble. He would do things would be expected from a 12 year old. Just goofy, immature things. Then he disappeared living in the woods of Palm Coast for months. He spent a year in county jail, for what I do not remember. He then moved to Ohio with a friend.

In November 1999, we received a letter, the first contact in a year. Gabriel wrote that he met the most beautiful young lady, they had a place of their own, he was working steady, and there was to be a wedding. Also, he had not had anything to drink, nor had he smoked pot in months.

Gabriel had not seen his birth mother since before he went to rehab. But she re-entered his life to be part of the celebrations mentioned above.

In June of this year, he left his wife and beautiful 16 month daughter in Ohio to return to his mother now living in Apopka Florida. My husband and I both knew that this was his death sentence.

Gabriel kept in contact by telephone and of course told us all the great things happening in his life. In July, we were vacationing in the Keys with our daughter-in-law and grand baby. Early in the morning of July 31rst, Thursday, I received a call from his birth mother. He had overdosed, been airlifted to Florida Hospital Orlando, and was on full life support.

What a very long ride from the Keys to Orlando it was. I called the doctors throughout the trip for updates on his condition. We felt they were desperately trying to keep him alive until our arrival.

We arrived, were greeted by his birth mother and her friends who were higher than kites. We couldn�t believe that the doctors didn�t strap them down and have them committed.

For days, the doctors gave us all kinds of hope. We rode the roller coaster of emotions.

Gabriel was kept alive until Monday, August 11, 2003. The family decided to take him off life support at 9:00 a.m. My husband and I quickly went to the Apopka police department to get a copy of the police report and talk to the investigating detective. This was suggested by a nurse in ICU in case there was a case of neglect. In reading the report, we were upset and shocked!

Gabriel�s birth mother reported that at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30th, that her son had taken oxycotin and reported that his eyes were turned in opposite directions and was very high! She left for work at 5:00 p.m. and returned home at 11:00 to find him sallow breathing and not responding. These people lived in one room She never even called 911 until 2:45 a.m. By then, he had no pulse.

By the time he arrived at the hospital, he had cardiac arrest 3 times. His lungs were filled with fluid, his kidneys and liver were failing and filling with blood.

Gabriel died at 10:45 p.m. on August 11, 2003. Dad had promised him that we would be there with him until he left this world and we were.

On the morning of his funeral, Friday, August 15th, surrounded by family, we had a 20 foot tree planted in our front yard. Gabriel�s tree will bear fruit in February, the month of his birth.

Kathryn A. Lopez