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Reflecting on the indescribable pain and questions from losing a loved one to a drug overdose

WBUR | By Martha Bebinger
Published August 6, 2025 at 10:49 AM CDT
The author's nephew as a child, leaping off of a jetski into the water. (Courtesy Martha Bebinger)
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The author's nephew as a child, leaping off of a jetski into the water. (Courtesy Martha Bebinger)

WBUR’s Martha Bebinger lost her nephew, Austen Smith, to a drug overdose last year. In this essay, she describes the pain and questions that linger.

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Caleb Green and André Peralta composed and performed the music for this segment. Green also mixed it for broadcast.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

Martha Bebinger
[Copyright 2024 NPR]
See stories by Martha Bebinger