Emily Jackson, age 18, Arlington Heights, IL.
On August 18th, 2006, our daughter Emily, only eighteen years of age and three days from her first day in college, was killed accidentally when she consumed OxyContin that had been prescribed for a relative.  Emily was not an experienced drug user, and all it took was one encounter with this drug. She had no chance to learn from this one-time experience.  Had she any idea how deadly this drug was, she would still be alive.

Emily was friendly, funny, loving, artistic, and compassionate.  She was a beautiful human being who made her parents very proud.  She had a great many friends and despite battling cancer and multiple surgeries for the last three years of her life, she was very supportive of the people all around her.  There is a huge hole in our lives, and almost a year later it still seems like she was just here, that she will come walking in the front door at any time.  There could not be a greater loss.