LOWELL, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – A father who lost his daughter to a drug overdose is giving back to the community with a new residential treatment home in her honor.
Megan Grover passed away one year ago after struggling with a heroin addiction for years.
"Megan was my daughter. She was the apple of my eye. She was a beautiful kid," said her father, Tim Grover.
Grover said Megan had an infectious laugh. She loved sports and she loved to read, but experimenting with drugs in high school turned into a 9 year battle with addiction.
Now, her father is trying to spare other families the same tragic loss.
“I pray that every day. That's the goal - just one child,” Grover said.
Megan passed away shortly after Christmas, and despite his grief, he had a vision to help others in need. Just days after his daughter's death, Grover purchased the old Riverside School in Lowell. His vision is now called Megan’s House, a facility for young women in need.
Grover said when his daughter needed help with her opiate addiction, there was often a very long wait for a bed in a treatment facility. She would have to wait weeks, or sometimes months in order to receive help.
"When she did get help, the help was fantastic. The programs in Massachusetts were great. The problem was there wasn't enough of them," Grover said.
The new residential treatment program will open in the coming weeks. It will be a free place for young women to get help. The staff at Megan’s House expects to get their licensing from the Department of Public Health in a few weeks.
Grover says the support from the community has been overwhelming, but he has funded a large portion of this project himself.
If you would like more information or would like to make a donation, visit the Megan's House website. Also on the website, you can read a personal note from Grover.