I am an academic physician in Massachusetts and father of four, and lost my youngest son, Macky, at age 23 to a heroin overdose. For many years, I knew how to resuscitate emergency room patients dying from an overdose but I had never received training about the causes and effective treatments to manage substance use disorders. I was as confused and troubled as any other parent and could not find Macky the help he needed, and he died just a few days after Christmas in 2016. I then learned all I could about addiction, became an advocate, worked with Congress, and helped create legislation that now requires all physicians to understand the basics of opioid addiction. Using the many papers and letters my son left behind, as well as my own saved letters and records, I wrote a book revealing the true story, which was traditionally published in 2024. I continue to write and have my memoir in progress.