Lindsey Johnson: Losing a Sister

Lindsey Johnson: Losing a Sister

What can we learn from those who have battled addiction? This conversation with University of Mississippi student Lindsey Johnson gently pulls you into the heartbreak and hard-won hope that followed the loss of her sister to fentanyl-laced pills. Recorded for The Mayo Lab Podcast, the chat is calm, honest and very human.

It starts with warm memories of Lindsey’s sister – a high-achieving, kind honours student who loved family trips to Hawaii – before shifting into how pandemic stress, anxiety and counterfeit opioids quietly upended her life. Lindsey explains how a boyfriend’s suggestion to use street Percocet for anxiety spiralled into addiction, and how her sister’s attempt to quit ended in a fatal relapse after he left rehab.

Lindsey speaks candidly about the moment she was pulled from softball practice to hear the news, and how junior year of high school became, as she puts it, “the hardest year that I think that I’ve ever experienced like ever.” She talks about constant fear, panic at every ambulance siren, and the way each family member grieved differently under the same roof. Faith plays a huge role in her recovery from overwhelming anxiety.

She shares how nightly prayer and reading her Bible brought a sense of peace that sat alongside the pain, not instead of it. Gratitude, too, became a lifeline – even something as simple as appreciating the grass outside or the presence of caring friends.

Lindsey’s reflections on addiction are clear and compassionate: “The people, once they start taking drugs, that is not the same person that you knew before.” She stresses grace for those who are struggling, firm boundaries for herself around substances, and the strange comfort of small things – like wearing her sister’s necklace or spotting a cardinal when she needs it most.

If you’re a student, parent or educator trying to understand grief, anxiety and substance use, this gentle but honest story may be exactly what you need today.