It was well into his college career when Dan's addiction to prescription pain killers took a serious turn. At the age of 20, he was prescribed Vicodin to treat back pain stemming from a herniated disc; the abuse of the opiates grew over time.

In 2010, Dan agreed to check into a rehab facility. After treatment, he lived in a halfway home and remained sober for a few months. After his relapse, he went back to treatment and remained there for a short time.

Upon the night of his release, Dan and a fellow addict (whom he became friends with at the facility) went searching for pain killers. When they couldn't find any, they resorted to and located heroin. After taking the drugs, they went to sleep and planned to return home before Dan's parents arrived, hoping they wouldn't suspect anything.

When his friend went to wake Dan that morning, he was unresponsive.

Dan had just turned 25 years old. On March 9, 2011, the paramedics pronounced him dead.

"Dan's Room" in the Willmar women's sober home

In January 2015, we visited the beautifully renovated women's sober home in Willmar, MN. We were honored to have a room named in Dan's memory.