Karen Hardy will describe how she decided to live life knowing her son might die from his heroin addiction.  When loved ones of those with addictions place themselves first, seeking their own healing journey, they increase the odds of recovery for everyone.  She embarked on her healing journey by documenting a year in their life by writing about their experiences in parallel.  By doing so, she was able to keep herself present in her life while working to understand her son’s struggle. Karen Hardy is a mental health and addiction counselor and co-owner of a Wellness Center in Belgrade, Maine. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, she worked as a correctional counselor in the Connecticut state prison system for over 20 years. She earned an addictions certification while working in prison, and then earned a Master’s degree in counseling psychology upon retirement. Her private practice and Wellness Center is focused on helping the families and loved ones of with people with addiction. She and her husband have 4 children, 2 dogs and they started section hiking the Appalachian Trail last year for overdose awareness. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx