The heroin epidemic continues to run rampant within communities across the nation. It doesn’t discriminate and it shoots to kill.

But, for many the risk of jail or death isn’t enough to drop the habit. This is why the body count continues to rise.

However; there may be another option for long-time users: permanent memory loss.

Debbie Berkley’s daughter has been struggling with a heroin addiction for years. She recently was released from prison after serving 18 months and within two days was back in her old lifestyle.

Berkley’s daughter, Lisa, had experienced a rare growth on a valve in her heart. It broke off and traveled to her brain. This is rare only because most addicts overdose and die before this vegetation can grow.

She says her daughter may be breathing, but she’s gone.

Berkley leaves mothers faced with similar situations this advice:

For those in the Northeast, Ohio area struggling with addiction or an addicted loved one, reach out to the Stark County Mental Health and Recovery Board or Quest Recovery and Prevention Services for more information on how to get help.