Andrew and Sara Gold established the Daniel Gold Memorial Foundation in loving memory of their son, Daniel Gold. On December 1, 2015 Daniel died of a heroin overdose at the young age of 26.
Daniel was a kind and caring young man. He always had an enduring sensitivity and compassion towards those who were faced with difficult challenges in their life. He had a great affection for animals and also could be found watching and critiquing movies, which was his favorite pastime.
Daniel suffered an agonizing spiral into substance abuse and addiction that began in high school when he was given a prescription for an opioid pain medication after a sports injury. Tragically we lost him eleven years later, a casualty of the opioid epidemic that continues to have a deadly impact on the youth of our nation. While our story isn’t distinct from many other individuals and families impacted by the opioid scourge, Daniel was our son and his life mattered to us. We started this foundation with the hope that if we could save one life our effort would be well worth it. Our loss is painful and we don’t want anyone else to have to go through what we endured. Addiction is not an easy way of life and it effects not only the addict but also family members, friends and love ones. The prescription opioid crisis continues to devastate communities throughout the nation and our story is just one of many lives affected. As a result of our son’s death, we created the foundation in his name, Daniel Gold Memorial Foundation. Our goal is to help educate and inform members of our local communities about the potential dangers of prescription opioids, substance abuse and addiction. We work diligently with local Long Island organizations and serve as community champions in sharing our experience and our loss to benefit others.
– Sara and Andrew Gold
Mission Statement
The mission of the Daniel Gold Memorial Foundation is to support and enhance services that provide educational and prevention programs for substance use, abuse and addiction. The Daniel Gold Memorial Foundation also has a strong commitment to promoting an understanding and acceptance that addiction needs to be universally recognized as a disease.
We hope this foundation will help in preventing the tragic death of other young people. We dedicate this foundation to Daniel with our love always, now and forever.