Maureen Cavanagh’s gripping memoir
If You Love Me
is the story of a mother who suddenly finds herself on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic as her daughter battles—and ultimately confronts—substance use disorder.
Fast-paced and heartwarming, devastating and redemptive, Maureen’s incredible odyssey into the opioid crisis—first as a parent, then as an advocate—is ultimately a deeply moving mother-daughter story about love, strength, and hope. When Maureen and her ex-husband Mike see their daughter Katie’s needle track marks for the first time, it is a complete shock. But, slowly, the drug use explains everything—Katie’s constant exhaustion, erratic moods, and all those spoons that have gone missing from the house.
Like millions of parents and relatives all over the country—many of whom she has helped through her nonprofit organization—Maureen learns that recovery is neither straightforward nor brief. Over a roller-coaster two years, Maureen battles to save Katie’s life, and in telling this unforgettable story, she brings the opioid crisis out of the shadows and into the house next door.