Maureen Cavanagh is the founder of Magnolia New Beginnings, a nonprofit peer-support group for those living with or affected by substance use disorder. She has been recognized by The New York Times, CNN, and other outlets for her work fighting the opioid crisis and the stigma that surrounds it. If You Love Me: A Mother’s Journey Through Her Daughter’s Opioid Addiction (Henry Holt and Co.) is the story of a mother who suddenly finds herself on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic as her daughter Katie battles―and ultimately reckons with―substance use disorder. Like the millions of parents and relatives all over the country―some of whom she has helped through her nonprofit organization―Maureen learns that recovery is neither straightforward nor brief. Maureen is launched into the shadowy world of overcrowded, for-profit rehabilitation centers that often prey on worried parents. As Katie runs away from one program after another, never outrunning her pain, Maureen realizes that even while she becomes an expert on getting countless men and women into detox and treatment centers, she remains powerless to save her own daughter. Maureen’s unforgettable story brings the opioid crisis out of the shadows and into the house next door.
