I Am the Storm summary

What does it take to face up to one of the biggest monsters ravaging the heart of America? Shelly Elkington had to learn the answer when she found herself up against the devastating opioid crisis.

In 2015, Shelly’s daughter Casey died by suicide at the age of 26 after a long struggle with opioid addiction. Casey had been diagnosed with a terrible inflammatory bowel disease that left her in incredible pain, making her endure multiple surgeries.

It was after one of these surgeries that a doctor prescribed her a powerful pain medication: Oxycodone. Her mother, Shelly was initially happy – after all, what parent wants to see their daughter in pain? But for daughter Casey, this was the beginning of the end.

By the time Casey was discharged from hospital, she was completely dependent on opioids. The doctor prescribed them, so Shelly told herself that they couldn’t be bad, right? But eventually Casey found out that heroin was cheaper and easier to get.

In the final months of her life, Casey was rarely seen by her parents – instead hanging out with heroin dealers and ex-prisoners. One of the last times that Shelly talked to her daughter, Casey told her: “It’s not my fault, Momma.”

It was a few months after Casey's death that Shelly started her fight. She talked about her experience with newspapers and other parents who had gone through similar things. Learning that she wasn’t alone gave her the strength to keep fighting.

At the time, government and society were ill-equipped to deal with the opioid crisis. Laws and stigmas made it hard for emergency teams to help, or addicts to talk about their problems. It was the only disease that was addressed as a political issue, rather than a medical one.

Shelly found strong allies in lawmakers who had also lost loved ones to opioids – politicians from both sides of the political spectrum. Together they fought for small changes and small steps forward.

Now there's legislation that allows emergency responders to carry Narcan – a drug that can save someone from an overdose. There was also a settlement hearing in 2022 where people who had lost loved ones to opioids were allowed to directly address individuals whose businesses profit from this dangerous drug.

One particularly big victory for Shelley came in 2018, when she was a guest at the State of the Union address to acknowledge the attention she had brought to the opioid crisis.

But a lot is left to do. This Goliath hasn't yet fallen. Shelley sometimes has to ask herself: “When do you give up?”

It’s hard, but Shelley remains optimistic. She is grateful for the years she had with her daughter, and is strengthened by the thought that she might help others in ways that she couldn’t help Casey.