A mother's grief, a son's poetry

Even in pre-school, Jessie Dunleavy’s son Paul struggled to learn. His disabilities forced him to switch schools over and over. He turned to poetry, and eventually, after several mental-health diagnoses, to drugs. After he died of an overdose, his mother found a poem alluding to his addiction as a moral disgrace. Dunleavy said it broke her heart, "I would do anything to change that, because I think the shame drives you further into the addiction and into seeking the escape.” In the memoir, "Cover My Dreams In Ink," Dunleavy recounts the sobering lessons she learned from Paul’s life and death. Find Dunleavy's blog here. This interview first aired on January 25, 2021.Do you have a question or comment about a show or a story idea to pitch? Contact On the Record at: Senior Supervising Producer, Maureen Harvie she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1903 Senior Producer, Melissa Gerr she/her/hers [email protected] 410-235-1157 Producer Sam Bermas-Dawes he/him/his [email protected] 410-235-1472