Show Navigation

Portsmouth, Ohio -- Thursday, March 28, 2019

Nikki Horr holds onto a "Clean & Serene for Thirty Days" chip she received from Narcotics Anonymous. "This was the hardest one to get," she said.

--

Layla Kegg, 17, lives with her grandmother and great-grandfather in Portsmouth, a southern Ohio town with elevated opioid addiction rates. “Every time I come home, I ask, ‘where’s mom?’” she said. Her mother, Nikki Horr, became addicted to painkillers while working as a hospice nurse. She had recently renewed contact with an abusive boyfriend and the family didn't know where she was staying.

A junior at Portsmouth High School, Kegg is navigating teenage life with normal concerns like good grades, the next softball game and her upcoming prom, but as her mom continues to fight back from addiction, Kegg also worries that her mother could overdose like so many others have in her hometown.

CREDIT: Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times
30231966A

Add to Lightbox Download
Filename
2019-Layla-0515A.JPG
Copyright
Alyssa Schukar
Image Size
6720x4480 / 4.6MB
www.alyssaschukar.com
Contained in galleries
Portsmouth, Ohio -- Thursday, March 28, 2019<br /> <br /> Nikki Horr holds onto a "Clean & Serene for Thirty Days" chip she received from Narcotics Anonymous. "This was the hardest one to get," she said.<br /> <br /> --<br /> <br /> Layla Kegg, 17, lives with her grandmother and great-grandfather in Portsmouth, a southern Ohio town with elevated opioid addiction rates. “Every time I come home, I ask, ‘where’s mom?’” she said. Her mother, Nikki Horr, became addicted to painkillers while working as a hospice nurse. She had recently renewed contact with an abusive boyfriend and the family didn't know where she was staying.<br /> <br /> A junior at Portsmouth High School, Kegg is navigating teenage life with normal concerns like good grades, the next softball game and her upcoming prom, but as her mom continues to fight back from addiction, Kegg also worries that her mother could overdose like so many others have in her hometown.<br /> <br /> CREDIT: Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times <br /> 30231966A
Info