Karen Byers

From Poppies to Ivy Karen Byers

Unfortunately, many real-life drug addiction stories end with an overdose or other tragic event. Thankfully, Karen Byers's story is different. Her story is about the addiction, recovery, and success achieved by her son as he transformed from a high school dropout and heroin addict to making the dean's list at Cornell University. In a compelling memoir, Byers shares insight into her challenging journey as the mother of a son who left high school after being on the honor roll, serving as the captain of an award-winning improv team, and serving as co-captain in drama club to beginning the long and difficult work of recovery. As she leads others into the past and shares both her story and Elliot's, she offers valuable advice to other parents on how to view addiction in a different way to help guide their children out of the darkness of drug dependence and into the light of new beginnings. From Poppies to Ivy is the true story of a mother's experiences as she faced her son's heroin addiction and helped lead him to recovery.