Joni Parker’s story is every parent’s worst nightmare. A single mother raising four children, her youngest child, her only son, slips away from her at 17 into the grip of a years-longs drug addiction so strong that seemingly nothing can save him, not even a mother’s determination and unconditional love. Joni’s heartbreaking story will not only captivate your audience, it will open their eyes to the realities of drugs abuse. According to Joni, 80 to 90 percent of people incarcerated are there because of drug-related crimes, and it’s a problem that is much more widespread than people believe. Joni will share with your audience:
• Signs of her son’s drug abuse that she missed—both subtle and obvious.
• The surprising person who got her son hooked (it wasn’t the local pusher).
• The importance of constructive time for kids—too much free time equals trouble.
• Her son’s horrendous prison experiences, such as barely surviving a 114 degree heat wave in a cell with no air-conditioning (his cellmate died from the heat).
• Why the tough love approach used on the show Intervention doesn’t always work, and how her son finally got clean.
CREDENTIALS: Joni Parker’s first book is LETTERS FROM MATT: A Mother’s Story. Through her son’s letters written while he was in prison, it details her son’s struggle
to beat his drug addiction and her determination to help him. Joni is currently working toward a degree in psychology.
AVAILABILITY: Oregon, nationwide by arrangement and via telephone
CONTACT: Diana Bartulin, (888) 795-4274, ext. 7556 (IN); diana.bartulin@xlibris.com