Son Drew Sharp with his parents Greg Swan and Kristine Bonds.
Kristine Bonds lost 24-year-old stepson Drew Swan nearly four years ago to opioid abuse in Florida.
Now she wants to make the opioid epidemic the centerpiece of her Republican campaign to succeed retiring Congressman Dave Trott, R-Birmingham, reports Melissa Nann Burke of The Detroit News.
"It's not just a national crisis, but also a local crisis. That’s truly what’s prompted me to not only take action but be an agent of change. To help save one life is what I’m looking to help solve here," says Bonds of West Bloomfield, the 52-year-old daughter of past WXYZ anchor Bill Bonds.
Drew Swan had previously overdosed twice on heroin and had been clean for a year and a half before his death in April 2013, says his father Greg Swan.
On her campaign site, the first-time candidate writes:
We have an epidemic friends - it's OPIOIDS.
The deadliest drug crisis in American history and it's the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old. My sister Joanie Bonds died from the terrible disease of addiction on December 16, 1981. Fast forward to April 3, 2013 -- the call every parent dreads -- our beautiful first born son Drew was dead of an overdose.
