Megan Angelina Webbley, 31, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 29. Specifically, she died of an overdose, finally losing her battle with addiction. She was in Manchester, N.H., seeking treatment for her addiction. We have no clear picture of what went wrong. Megan leaves behind her mother, Dorothy Provenzano, of Boca Raton, Fla.; her father, Edwin Webbley, of Middlebury, Vt.; and her brother, Michael Henderson, of Los Angeles, Calif.; as well as many loving cousins, aunts and uncles. She also left behind four beautiful children who were collectively the light of her dark life.
Though shadowed by opiate addiction, Megan enjoyed a big smile and an infectious laugh. She loved all kinds of music, dancing and doing her makeup. Empathetic in the extreme, she was the underdog’s biggest advocate. And against all circumstances, when she could be, she was a loving, gentle and doting mother. Just last year, she spent a few hours in the pool with all four kids (the youngest has since been adopted by a loving family), and it was a rollicking, madcap outing featuring a waterslide and peals of laughter. It was at that point when she was the happiest we had seen her in years.
Megan grew up in St. Albans and Georgia, Vt., participating in dance and swimming. She proved to be an adventuresome reader and a fearless jumper off cliffs. But on July 1, 2005, she was once again at a cliff on Eagle Bay in Burlington. I was sitting at my desk on the first day of a new job, and a Vermont State Policeman called to tell me to drive to the emergency room at the University of Vermont Medical Center. I was told that she had been pushed off the cliffs and hit the rocks below … with her face. Having been rescued by a man in a kayak and EMTs, she was being stitched up, and her jaw was wired shut. They suspected a TBI, but when they prescribed her liberal doses of opiates, she lost control of her life. She would be in and out of rehab — and jail — for the next 14 years.
To editorialize, I am hoping that the Department for Children and Families rethinks its mission to be the punisher of addicted mothers, the separator of families and the arbiter of children’s futures, and instead embrace a mission of enhanced rehabilitation. We, as a state, are overwhelmed by addiction. We have almost nowhere to turn. I encourage enhanced funding for treatment in general and using DCF as a gateway for mothers with addiction to get help. Because, as one would guess, once the mother is separated from her children, desperation sets in, even with the brightest and most determined of mothers — and Megan Angelina Webbley was that bright and determined mother … with a fatal disease and a dearth of treatment options.
—Submitted by Megan’s father
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This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2019.
This is such a heartbreaking story! Megan may you rest in peace sweet ANGEL. This epidemic is truly profound and my prayers every single day are to let this epidemic cease. There are absolutely no words to express but to know there are more and more young innocent people who are going through this. I sincerely agree and support Megan’s dad , once the addicted mother is separated from her child’s desperation sets in. Praying for Peace & Comfort for this family!
Such a beautiful princess and sad she has passed. Pray her kids will do well and write a book about their Mother. Her life will have an impact on others who suffer from the dreadful disease. So sorry for the loss
of this beautiful lady and for her family. Please keep in prayer always.
I am so sad for you and your daughter’s children. Heartbreaking to say the least.
God bless your family, I personally understand your heartache.
What a tragic story! I have had my run with opiate addiction and it takes over your life. I was one of the lucky ones that has broken the cycle. But at one time I was up to 30 20mg Lortabs a day… back when you could order online!! Im lucky Im not dead cause I had five prescriptions going at once.
Its possible to get clean but you cant do it alone. It takes a village.
Dearest family and friends of Megan Angelina Webbley. Hold your hearts and each other’s hearts with gentle hands. Blessed be.
May God bless you . Its difficult to lose a child , twice , the first time we lose hope the second time they leave this earthly domain. As parents we put our trust in what we think will help our children, we never want harm to come to them. Big pharmaceutical companies and hospitals have got to be responsible at some point for a whole generation of addicted and deceased young people. Beautiful souls that did not wake up one day and say I want to be an addict. Your story counts , your daughters death does not go in vain. Because we are starting to hold Drs and pharmaceuticals accountable . I pray you and your family find peace.
Beautifully stated. Prayers for you and your family.
Thank you for speaking so truthfully about your daughter. This disease doesnt discriminate however unfortunately DCF sees day in and day out newborns addicted and kids traumatized by this terrible epidemic. Casework responsibilities have almost doubled in the past 10 years not to mention caseload sizes bring completely unmanageable mostly due to this disease. The value we place on children and family services in our country is disgraceful and DCF is completely underfunded. Much of the staff suffers from compassion fatigue or ptsd. They are constantly blamed for everything by everyone. My sons father passed of an overdose after battling the disease for many years and its heart wrenching to watch him suffer and to think how hes going to have to live the rest of his life trying to make sense of what happened to his father. My heart breaks for your grandchildren and Im so sorry for your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss. As a medical provider there is no way we can know who will become dependent or addicted to opiates or not. When a patient is in pain we feel obligated to treat that pain. However we need to be responsible to give the least amount for the least amount of time to control the worst of the pain and also use ibuprofen and other non opiates for pain. Im very conservative and encouage the use of analgesics but that isnt always enough. I inherited patients from a provider who retired who were on high doses of opiates and benzodiazepines. Most have switched successfully to suboxone and ibuprofen and other non opiate pain meds. And have reduced the amount of benzos significantly or completely discontinued its use. Many of the providers I know and work with feel as I do and we are trying to use opiates as little as possible. There is a DNA test that identifies which medications will work the best for a person including pain meds and so much more. It helps so we take the guess work out of prescribing medications and what will work the best including potential side effects, interactions etc. It has been a life saver for my patients literally. Please ask your provider about this test. Im happy to help you locate a provider who offers this in their practice.
Jody Stubler, FNP-C 385-275-4673 OFFICE