For a long time, ESPN sideline reporter Lauren Sisler kept a secret about her past close to the vest.
Her parents both died of a drug overdose.
Just recently, she decided to tell her story.
The story is about her mother, Lesley, who died in 2003. She had an entire pack of fentanyl in her system and was found unresponsive on the front porch of their house in Virginia. Just hours later, her father, George, was gone too. He was found on the kitchen floor.
“Everyone was in absolute shock,” Sisler told the New York Post.
Not just because her parents were dead but because the addiction was a secret kept from their children. The two had finished a two-week supply of fentanyl patches in a matter of days.
That’s partly why she decided to tell her story and write a book about it.
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“I realized that holding in their secrets and holding in the shame [they had surrounding their drug use] didn’t serve my parents well,” she said. “And it didn’t serve those around them well.”
“I realized, ‘Hey, I can be open about this, and while it doesn’t change who [my parents] were or doesn’t change who I am,’ it can ultimately help somebody who is struggling.”
Sisler said she felt relieved after reconnecting with those who were there (the EMT and the deputy sheriff) and searching through reports.
“The truth really does set you free,” she said.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.