Guilford Mom's Story About Son's Overdose Death Draws Tears From Daniel Hand Students

By Jack Kramer, Correspondent

GUILFORD, CT – A Guilford mother who lost her son, Nick, to a heroin overdose at age 20 walked in her son’s old school recently to talk to teens about the dangers of drugs.

Sue Kruczek, who has become known statewide for trying to educate people about the dangers of opioids, had been asked by the U.S. District Attorney’s office to team up with them in an effort to battle the drug crisis.

Sue Kruczek talked to kids at Daniel Hand High School.

It wasn’t easy for her – but she was determined to do it.

Instead of this reporter writing about her visit, let Sue Kruczek tell you about her visit in her own words:

“My DHHS update.....

Checked in to the school. Got a big hug from one of my DHHS favorites right away, Kara Heller who still talks about Nick and his "million dollar smile".

I walked in to the cafetorium. The same room I'll be in again in a couple weeks handing out two scholarships to senior hockey player recipients of the Nick Kruczek Scholarship. As we have done the previous two years. I'm wearing his official #5 hockey jersey that now has a bit of basement smell from being stored down there.

The kids were a bit chatty and moving a lot when the District attorneys and others were speaking. But all in all pretty respectful. When I spoke the only sound I heard was an occasional sniffle. Kids were leaning forward in their seats fully engaged and listening to everything I had to say. Somebody told me afterwards that a bunch of them were crying and wiping their eyes as I spoke about Nick's story.

A few messages from the students afterwards........

1. One of my teachers had Nick. When I asked her about him, she said "He was confident, kind, full of happy personality and always had a huge smile on his face. Liked and liked by everybody."

2. A girl came up to me telling me how she had personally OD a few weeks ago. Her Mom told her to listen to me and watch me. Her Mom had heard me speak before and said that what I had to say was powerful and moving. A lot can be taken away from what I had to say and share .As she does not want to ever be in my shoes.

3. I got a lot of kids coming down to just ask for a hug. Some still crying.... very very touching!

A couple private messages sent to me on FB from people I don't know. Just kind, compassionate people that went out of their way to look me up and send words of encouragement and thanks.....

Sue Kruczek will also be making a return visit to Hand, at the same time, on May 31st.

Sue Kruczek is the latest member of HEAT (heroin education action team), a group of law, mental health professionals and others, who go around to schools across the state talking to teens about the dangers of heroin, opioids and substance abuse.

The mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Heroin Education Action Team (USA HEAT) is to stop the spread of the opioid abuse epidemic in Connecticut by increasing community understanding of the dangers associated with these drugs.

USA HEAT is a partnership between the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut and families who have lost a loved one to an overdose.

Sue Kruczek’s son died of a drug overdose at the age of 20 and she has become one of the go to spokespeople on the opioid epidemic plaguing the state of Connecticut.

She was at the side of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy last May when he signed landmark legislation placing a 7-day cap on opioid prescription, a law sponsored by Guilford State Rep. Sean Scanlon, another politician that Kruczek has spent much of the past year with at events concerning the opioid crisis.

Sue Kruczek said: “It never gets easier going to talk about Nick and reliving what had been my biggest fear in life, finding him dead. It’s excruciatingly painful to relive. But when I get a beautiful email or letter from a parent or child telling me how Nick’s story saved their child – that he is also their angel I am ready to do it all over again."