Kind, compassionate, caring, loyal, old soul
Alison was a beautiful soul with a caring heart for others. She was intelligent, outgoing, and athletic. She had a heart of compassion for those who needed a friend, like a fellow day camper with Down’s syndrome she befriended one summer. She was a girl scout through middle school, played soccer, and later excelled at gymnastics. She was the only freshman on the varsity cheerleading squad.
Birthdays were special, celebrated with a pink strawberry confetti cake. When Alison was older, she and her mother would go for sushi on birthdays. “The best trip I ever had with Alison was when she was 13,” her mom said. They went to New York City, where her mom surprised Alison with tickets to a Madonna concert at Madison Square Garden. “She was beyond excited and had a blast,” her mom said.
Alison and her brother, Patrick, were close in age and in heart. Her mom’s favorite picture is of the two siblings fishing together on the bank of a lake. They both deeply miss Alison’s laugh, smile, and presence.
There was a change in Alison after she became addicted to drugs. Her self-worth and confidence eroded. Barbara’s life became consumed with Alison’s health and well-being. She consistently offered support, love, and opportunities for recovery. Alison contracted MRSA from IV drug use that infected her aorta and caused a mild stroke. She had open-heart surgery, a valve replacement, and a pacemaker was implanted. Watching her daughter suffer during and after the surgery was the worst for Barbara. “There was a long road to recovery and then the disease took hold again, which created more medical issues,” her mom stated.
Since Alison’s passing, Barbara is helping other families affected by substance use disorder (SUD), or who have lost a loved one. She put her 35-year experience in marketing and advertising to work with a nonprofit as Director of Education, bringing programs about SUD to the community. She also facilitates GRASP (Grief Recovery After Substance Passing) support groups to help families going through what she did. “It is now my mission to talk about the disease and that recovery is possible. Always love and have hope for your loved one. People do recover!”
Alison’s mother, Barbara Shafer, provided the information for this narrative.
October 21, 1993-January 28, 2015
Age 21-Lived with the disease of addiction 3 years
