MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — The family of a 24-year-old woman who died of a heroin overdose has written an obituary openly discussing her struggle with drugs, including a plea to “do everything possible” to help drug addicts before it’s too late.

Molly Parks died in Manchester on April 16. Her family in Saco writes that along her journey through life, “she made a lot of bad decisions, including experimenting with drugs.”

It says Parks fought her addiction for at least five years and experienced a near-fatal overdose before. Her family said it tried to be as supportive as possible as she struggled with the heroin epidemic “that has been so destructive to individuals and families in her age bracket.”

Her father, Tom Parks, tells WMUR-TV that his daughter had visited him the weekend before her death. She was working and seemed to be doing well, he said.

Parks says the message is: “Don’t believe your addict is clean. Don’t do it. You have to be diligent. Stay right on top of them.”

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