A Maryland family brings awareness to opioid addiction through a meaningful display of Christmas lights and music for the third straight year. Jim and Helen Kurtz of Bel Air, Md., use 20,000 LED lights set to holiday music to acknowledge their 27-year-old daughter, Caroline’s, addiction to opioids.

“Never in a million years did we think we’d be affected by this disease,” homeowner Jim Kurtz told the local news station last year. “There’s no profile, I guess you might say, about a drug addict. They can come from any family — rich or poor, big or small.”

Their local NBC affiliate WBALTV Channel 11 reported, “the light display, which they said is an outlet for their emotions, includes songs of strength. It’s allowed Jim and Helen Kurtz to share what was once their private pain with others, and it’s opened a floodgate of conversation.”

You can view the family’s light display on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/xd0X_jXiTGk.

Their light display has become a source of strength not only for them, but also for others. Helen Kurtz describes the phenomenon saying:

“That made us sorry that we hadn’t done this sooner because it was not only healing for us, but healing for those people who came forward that said, ‘My nephew is going through the same thing, my niece, my son.

“We received Christmas cards and notes from addicts in the area, and they’re in recovery and struggling and they tell us how much they appreciate being acknowledged and they appreciate this effort.”

We at New Season send the warmest season’s greetings to parents like the Kurtzs who are trying their hardest to help their son or daughter overcome opioid use disorder. This holiday season, and every day, we pray for the families who are devastated by the disease.

We stand ready to help you and your loved ones. Call us at 1-877-284-7074 or message us at newseason@cmglp.com; a professional addiction expert is available now to help.