Posted by Mom, a resident of the Old Palo Alto neighborhood, on May 5, 2012 at 8:36 am

This was a powerful article, worth reading by all parents of teenagers.

Posted by Other Mom, a resident of the Greenmeadow neighborhood, on May 5, 2012 at 8:50 am

What an incredibly brave father, and what a sad story. I am humbled that he is telling his story, and so committed to helping others through ACS, which is such a wonderful organization supporting our youth.

Posted by Gavin, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on May 5, 2012 at 11:09 am

This is a very sobering account. The take home lesson is that teeneagers, associated with any level of drug abuse, CANNOT be trusted. The adults need to take charge, and not try to be their kids' friends. The parents need to become their jailors, if necessary.

Posted by PA parent, a member of the Gunn High School community, on May 5, 2012 at 2:42 pm

This is an important message to all parents and teenagers!!

Posted by PA Parent, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on May 5, 2012 at 3:20 pm

I agree. This is an excellent article that all parents and kids should read.

Thank you, Dr. Ting, for the painfully honest account of what happened to your lovely daughter. These are real stories that our kids, who often think that they are invincible, need to hear. No one is immune to drug addiction.

And thank you for turning your heartbreaking experience into something so beneficial to our community.

Posted by Cindy, a resident of another community, on May 6, 2012 at 6:10 pm

Very powerful! Using the loss of one so beautiful to reach out and help others is a wonderful way to honor Esther! I pray that many will benefit from Esther's pledge.

Posted by Resident, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on May 6, 2012 at 8:22 pm

Amazing father! Thanks for sharing your daughter's story.

Posted by r, a resident of the Green Acres neighborhood, on May 6, 2012 at 11:19 pm

how wonderful that he is using this experience to reach out to others and raise awareness

Posted by Goodjob, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on May 7, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Very powerful story. An Asian girl abusing cocaine? Talk about smashing stereotypes. All the more it underscores the fact that it can happen to anybody and we need to be vigilant.

Also, most chinese parents would find it a source of shame to be disclosing such private matters to the public. But Dr. Ting knows that by getting the word out, it can save lives. Much thanks.

Posted by Joe Barber, a resident of Menlo Park, on May 7, 2012 at 10:21 pm

Very sad story. We also lost our daughter 3 years ago to an oxycotin overdose. She had been to treatment centers in the bay area also.

Thank you for speaking out about your daughter. More people need to be talking about the epidemic of teen drug abuse.

Thankfully we sent our son to treatment at 16 and he has been sober for 2 years now.

We sent him to www.newportacademy.com

Posted by Jan A, former co-worker, a resident of Mountain View, on May 12, 2012 at 12:11 pm

George, I have thought of you many times since this happened. I cannot imagine the depth of your loss. I admire you for doing this article to help other parents and young people. It's hard to share publicly what is such private pain. I hope you're finding some peace.