An East Boston heroin addict’s heartbreaking struggle to get clean
Raquel Rodriguez has two young daughters, Mimi and Estrella — and is determined to completely quit heroin so that she won’t lose them both to the state.
A Boston Globe reporter or photographer was with Raquel for every key moment in her ongoing, yearlong battle to quit the life-crippling drug and to keep her kids. From her East Boston apartment to the recovery clinic to Mimi’s kindergarten graduation, Raquel’s story is one of heartbreak and redemption, love and loss.
As dusk settles, she grows inconsolable. Crawling into the bed she often shares with her daughters, she clutches Estrella’s giant stuffed bear and wails: “I want my babies.’’
Her kitten-sized dog, a Chihuahua Yorkie mix named Angel, chews on the toys and prescription pill bottles strewn on the floor. Jose sits silent on the couch.
“Maybe I’m not good enough for them, maybe they need someone better than me,’’ Raquel says, nearly whispering.“I’m nothing but a junkie.’’
Read the full Globe story here.
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