Wayne Woman Saving Others From Opioids Was Sherrill's SOTU Guest

WAYNE, NJ — Donna Andelora lost her son Joey to opioid addiction.

Joey would have been 29 Wednesday, but he died of a heroin overdose when he was 22. Following his death, she decided she needed to do something to help others who were struggling with the same thing.

Andelora, a township native, founded the Lost Angels Bereavement Group to help local families cope with loved ones lost to drug overdoses or who are struggling with opioid addiction.

Andelora attended President Donald Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night as the guest of Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

"Donna has bravely taken the most horrific thing a parent can go through, the loss of their child, and created a stigma-free space to help families in our community struggling with opioid addiction," said Sherrill, a Democrat in her first year in Congress. "Donna’s group provides a critical service in New Jersey, and the federal government must join in her fight. This is a national epidemic, and deserves a national response focused on long-term solutions and funding."

Andelora said she is honored to attend the State of the Union with Sherrill.

"After losing my son, I made a promise to myself and to him that I would make a difference," Andelora said. "Addiction has to be recognized as the disease it is."

Wayne is a stigma-free zone. It recently received a grant to help residents join with township officials, schools, clergy, local physicians, residents, business owners, and other community members to end judgment and help people who may be suffering. (See related: Wayne Receives Grant For Stigma-Free Initiative)

"Every community needs to be stigma-free," Andelora said.

Photo: Donna Andelora of Wayne. She founded the Lost Angels Bereavement Group, a group for people who have lost someone to opioid addiction. (Courtesy of Donna Andelora)