Someone just sent me a copy of the press release Dateline is sending out about the show. I got to a line that made me start heaving uncontrollably. Tears are still running into my mouth. It wasn't anything surprising. It simply says:
"Ultimately, this is a story about the power of family love to overcome the power of addiction."
I think, more than anything, I am crying for all of those people for whom love was not enough. It often isn't, and it might not have been.
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"SAVING CARRICK" TO BE BROADCAST ON
"DATELINE NBC" — FRIDAY, JULY 29
(New York, N.Y.) — July 18, 2005 — NBC's Ann Curry reports in the hour-long documentary, "Saving Carrick" — a story that tackles the problem of addiction and offers a rare, inside look into one family struggling to save a young daughter from one of the most extreme addictions of all: an addiction to heroin. Included in the report is intimate videotape, in some cases shot by the family members themselves in their most vulnerable moments, capturing their struggle as it is happens. Also on videotape is a raw look at the life of a heroin junkie, the shooting up and the desperation. To be broadcast on "Dateline NBC," Friday, July 29 (8 PM/ET).
The parents, Thom and Deirdre Forbes, both 52, are recovering alcoholics and live in the affluent suburb of Hastings-On-Hudson in Westchester County, New York. Teenagers here, like those across the country, often experiment with drugs and alcohol when they are underage. The Forbes are determined to keep their teenage son away from drugs and alcohol, even if it means being over-protective and intruding in his life more than other parents would. They have good reason for doing this - their daughter, Carrick, is an addict, and for the last 8 years, the family's life has revolved around trying to keep her clean.
Curry met the Forbes in the summer of 2003 when Carrick, 19 at the time, was living in a downtown apartment with her drug dealer boyfriend. Her days and nights were centered on scoring and shooting heroin. She had already contracted hepatitis C, most likely from sharing needles with other junkies, and her parents were deeply worried that she might die of an over-dose or get killed before her 20th birthday.
For the next year and a half "Dateline" cameras recorded her parents' efforts to try to make her stop using heroin and the emotional roller coaster that families of addicts ride as their hopes for recovery get dashed over and over again. Ultimately, this is a story about the power of family love to overcome the power of addiction. It also suggests there are things parents may never have guessed that can make children vulnerable to addiction.
David Corvo is the executive producer of "Saving Carrick." Marc Rosenwasser is the executive editor, Paul Greenberg is the senior producer, Soraya Gage is the producer, Joyce Cordero and Rayner Ramirez are the field producers, and Alvero Trenchi is the editor.
Press Contact: Jenny Tartikoff, 212/664-2271 or jenny.tartikoff@nbcuni.com