TV Anchor Shares News of Daughter’s Fatal Overdose On-Air [VIDEO]
It was no doubt the toughest story Angela Kennecke ever had to report. The investigative reporter who has been covering the opioid crisis for about 10 years on South Dakota's KELO-TV shared the story of her daughter's drug overdose death with viewers.
Kennecke lost her 21-year-old daughter Emily to fentanyl poisoning in May of this year.
"Now the opioid epidemic has hit home in a tragic and devastating way for me personally," Kennecke began. "On May 16th, my 21-year-old daughter died of an overdose."
Kennecke shared the news of her daughter's death in the hope that her story may help other parents.
"My only hope in the face of such devastating loss is that Emily's story -- my family's devastating tragedy -- can be a catalyst for change," she said. "If 72,000 people were dying a year from any other cause, we would be uniting to end the suffering of so many families. So many mothers."
Kennecke and her family have established Emily's Hope, a fund to help offset the cost of drug treatment and rehabilitation.