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.
I knew Megan, and this is such an accurate and heart wrenching description of her. All I can picture is her beautiful smile and her contagious laughter. She had a really positive spirit, and was always avle to empathize and cheer people on. She made you believe in yourself. I struggled with a heroin addiction for 25 years, right up until I got pregnant with my daughter at the age of 35. Having my daughter was enough for me and I haven’t touched a drug since. I have 43 months sober, I am a recovery coach at a suboxone clinic now. I am pregnant for my second. People can change when they have purpose. When children are taken from their mothers due to addiction issues I believe they are forced to numb themselves to keep going. I have lost so many people to addiction, and my heart is broken to hear about Megan. All we can do is try to fight the stigma, and advocate for sober houses and programs that permit and promote reunification and fast. I am so sorry for your loss. I want you to know that she talked about u and her mom with so much love and adoration. I really respect u trying to affect change. That is my mission also. Thank you so much for that. I will always remember Megan fondly.
I can’t even imagine the amount of grief you, your family, and her children are feeling. I’m deeply sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing her, the real her with us, including the struggle. I pray her life, and even her passing brings courage to someone, and to an industry to be wiser, kinder, and more compassionate. (PS it’s beyond me how anyone can dislike any of these posts, but oh well, it’s a crazy world we live in)
I am so sorry for your loss. I believe that when a Mother has been separated from her children she doesnt feel the same urgency to get help as she would if her kids were there with her. I personally would go to the ends of this earth for my kids but I also have not been in someones shoes like Megan’s. I pray for healing for her family, children & friends during this difficult time
Im so sorry for your incredible loss! I am raising my granddaughter for the same disease. She doesnt have the excuse of pain meds but mental illness and not liking how you feel and self medicating. She is alive and supposedly clean but I mourn her everyday as she is lost in that illness and we dont see her anymore. I agree that we need to do more especially for the ones who want the help. Know you will see her again and she is pain free and free if the crippling demon she fought.
I’m so sorry. Thank you for sharing beautiful Megan’s story. Thank you for bringing to light the lack of help for addicts. People say just go to rehab, but they don’t understand that the options here are thousands each month. My Son is currently serving a 180 day jail sentence and I’m scared for him to get out. I have Narcan with me at all times. He’s 35 years old and it’s been heartbreaking to see him struggle. The punishments and fines only dig the addicts hole they’re in deeper. Paying the fines when they’re not allowed to drive makes it harder to find work. The cities are profiting off the addicts when that money should go back to help the addicts. Bless you and thank you again for your courage.
Genuinely sorry for the loss of your precious daughter! For those who have a loved one suffering, I urge you to do research before sending to treatment centers. I lost my beautiful niece who was in a facility.
https://www.fredericksburg.com/obituaries/sperry-lauren-lynn/article_17553a15-0c92-5a8d-bcea-a434a2176ab0.html
There are many under investigation by the FBI. They are a business looking to bill insurance companies. Dig deeper. They are not to be paying for flights. Lauren told us they would pay residents for finding new addicts to check in to the facility. The FBI informed us that their investigation extended to the laboratory the facility used, as well. If a resident in the half way house failed a drug test or it was inconclusive they were sent back to inpatient status for two weeks. The facility then billed insurance again. If only we had believed our niece and brought her home sooner.
Im so incredibly sorry. Such beautiful and important words. As a parent I know your grief must be immeasurable. Thank you for speaking the truth and sharing her story.
How brave of you to share your daughters story!! There needs to be more families like this, not being ashamed but being able to maybe save someone else’s life. I’m very very sorry for your loss. I am very sorry for the childrens loss, and other family members. I am a recovering addict, and will celebrate 1 year clean tomorrow, and I feel like I was just in the right place to read this story. It is important that we share our stories, stop the stigma on addiction. Being ashamed of who you are or who your family members are will help nobody!! Everyone in some way is touched by addiction, so many people think, not me, not my child, but guess what, that’s what I thought and what my mother thought. Those kids now have to go on with no mommy, bc of a cruel disease that takes too many people away every single day. If I can do this anyone can!! Thank you again for sharing this. God bless you and your family
Thank you for having the courage to shine a light within her obituary on the dark subject of addiction. An overdose took my 22 year old daughter last month. I pray you find out what happened and it give you some peace. She is among the angels.
Prayers to her loving family. I lost my beautiful 24 year old son the same exact way almost five years ago.A severe injury and subsequently prescribed opiates for his chronic pain. When the doc stopped prescribing him opiates he immediately found heroin. Our babies are dying all over the country! She sounds so much like my Zachary. Empathetic..creative..energetic..and immensely compassionate in everything he did. Hugs from another brokenhearted mother.