A woman in Northern Virginia who uses her tragic story of addiction to help others was honored Tuesday by the FBI, which gave Katrina King a community leadership award for the work she does fighting back against the opioid crisis.
“She’s the voice that says, ‘I will walk through this with you,'” said Shane Dana, a special agent with the FBI. “She meets with anybody who is crying out for help.”
“She advocates for people with substance abuse disorders through an absolute labyrinth of obstacles that are in the way,” Dana added.
King was once severely addicted to opioids after falling down stairs and being prescribed painkillers.
She said she was taking 40 or 50 pills each day.
“It escalated until the point where I was just out of control,” King said.
Her situation only got worse, as King’s 20-year-old daughter also became addicted to opioids and ultimately died from it.
“After my daughter died, everybody had me pegged for ‘She will never make it,'” King said. “I didn’t think I would make it, but here I am, after the worst thing that anybody can go through.”
King also ended up spending two years in prison for forging prescriptions.
Now, she works as a recovery coach with the “Empowered Communities Opioid Project,” a program that works alongside people struggling with addiction in the Prince William County, Virginia, area.
“It helps connect people with opioid use disorders to people who can help them navigate both the social care and the health systems,” said David Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.
The FBI award that was presented to King named her as “a vocal advocate and resource for those struggling with opioid addiction.”
“She uses her story and her life experiences to build a bridge between those with opioid use disorders, recovery communities and law enforcement,” Sundberg said.
