Reading The Flight: My Opioid Journey out loud, in my own voice, was one of the most unexpected emotional experiences of my life. I thought I had already processed so much of my grief by writing this book, but as soon as I stepped into that recording booth, I knew that wasn’t the case. Speaking each word aloud brought new layers of memory and meaning. It was both painful and deeply therapeutic. It reminded me why I wrote this book in the first place.
There was also something strangely comforting about where I recorded it. The room inside the recording studio was called the Wolf Lab, named for what looked like a wolf’s head in the grain of the wood. The studio team calls themselves the Wolf Pack for the same reason. What they didn’t know when I walked in is that my maiden name is Wolf. I do not believe in coincidences. That room felt like it was meant for me, like I had a little piece of my son with me.
When I lost Christopher to opioid misuse, my entire world fell apart. The grief was overwhelming, and at times, paralyzing. Like so many families across this country, I never imagined addiction would touch mine. But it did. And once it did, I knew I could not stay silent. Not only to honor Christopher, but also to help others who are struggling to make sense of their own pain.
Storytelling is how we begin to heal. It is how we make meaning from suffering. And it is also how we move others to act. When people hear someone’s lived experience, it can change the way they see addiction. It can move someone struggling with opioids to ask for help. It can push a friend or loved one to offer support. And in my case, it led me to create something bigger than myself. Christopher’s story became the foundation for CWC Alliance and the Life Care Specialist role, an idea born from grief that is now saving lives in hospitals every day.
This is what I hoped to offer when I wrote The Flight. And now, with the release of the audiobook, I hope listeners can feel that connection even more deeply.
I have been so touched by the messages I have received from readers. Their words have reminded me that this journey is not mine alone. One mother wrote, “Listening to Cammie read her story brought me to tears. You can hear the love in her voice, and the pain too. It felt like sitting with another grieving parent who truly understands.” She lost her own child to fentanyl poisoning and shared how the audiobook helped her begin to process her grief in a way nothing else had.
Another reader said, “I listened with my mom, who lost her best friend to opioids. We cried together, and for the first time, we talked about it. This audiobook helped us find the words we hadn’t been able to say.”
Addiction is not a moral failure. It is a disease. And yet, too often, families are left to suffer in silence, ashamed to speak about what they have gone through for fear of judgment.
Whether you are a parent, a medical professional, someone in recovery, or someone who loves a person who is struggling, I hope The Flight offers you a sense of connection. If you choose to listen to the audiobook, I hope my voice reminds you that you are not alone in whatever you are facing.
If you or someone you know could benefit from hearing this story, the audiobook version of The Flight: My Opioid Journey is now available on Amazon.