MAPDA Mom of the Month – Founder Janet Janes

This month, we are honored to recognize Janet Janes, the original founder of MAPDA. What began with the devastating loss of her son Christopher became a mission to make sure other families understood how quickly substance use can take a life. In Janet’s own words:

On April 25, 2010, I lost my 19-year-old son, Christopher, to an accidental methadone overdose. He was experimenting and took a couple of pills a friend gave him. He wasn’t an addict, and none of us could have imagined that those pills would take his life.

I was completely devastated. I wrote a letter to our local newspaper because I needed other parents to understand how easily this could happen. I hoped that by sharing Chris’s story, perhaps another family could be spared the pain we were experiencing. That letter led to the creation of MAPDA, which I founded with another grieving mother.

MAPDA became a huge part of my life for many years. I spoke to young people and parents, worked with legislators and communities, and did everything I could to raise awareness about the dangers of prescription drugs. Eventually, I passed the organization on to Mary Bono, who has continued its important work.

MAPDA will always hold a very special place in my heart because it was born from the loss of my son and from my determination to make something positive come from an unbearable tragedy.

I know the pain of losing Chris will be with me for the rest of my life. You don’t get over losing a child. You learn to live with the hole they leave behind.

For me, music has been an important part of that healing. I am now a musician, and playing guitar, writing songs, and performing have given me a way to express some of the feelings I can’t always put into words.

I can’t change what happened to Chris, but I can keep his memory alive. And if his story helps save even one young person’s life, then his life continues to make a difference.