Mother keeps daughter's memory alive with 'Marah Project'

BY Ursula Reutin  on February 14, 2013 @ 6:46 am (Updated: 9:50 am - 2/14/13 )

marahproject.jpg
At the age of 12, Marah was a star pitcher, throwing a softball at more than 60 miles an hour. She was also an amazing ballet dancer. But LeGate says as gifted as she was, she wasn't happy. Marah was a sensitive soul who took on the world's problems. | Zoom
After her daughter's death from a heroin overdose, longtime Seattle television journalist Penny LeGate found a special way to honor her memory. She's created a project to help other struggling teens get on a path to a better life.

As a former KIRO TV anchor and host of Evening Magazine, LeGate is used to telling other people's stories, but this one is painful and personal.

"Marah was an extraordinarily gifted child. She was given great intelligence, beauty and sensitivity," she says. "And a caring heart."

At the age of 12, Marah was a star pitcher, throwing a softball at more than 60 miles an hour. She was also an amazing ballet dancer. But LeGate says as gifted as she was, she wasn't happy. Marah was a sensitive soul who took on the world's problems.

"When she started going through puberty, that's when everything went dark. She was rebellious, wanted to experiment, and she kind of went off into this dark place," LeGate says. "This is when her depression, anxiety and ADHD issues came up."

Marah starting experimenting with pot and alcohol, and then cocaine. LeGate and her then-husband, Mike Williams, tried everything to get her to stop: counseling, medication, tough love, pleading. The drugs had such a powerful grip on her.

"She would say 'Mom, why do I have to be like this? Why can't I be like other kids? Why did I go to this place and why can't I stop?,'" she says. "She would tell me the only time she would feel normal was when she would use."

When Marah was 16, they sent her to a treatment facility in Tucson, Arizona for three months. In this state, kids who are 14 years or older can walk away from treatment without their parents consent. They were desperate to help her kick her addiction.

When she came home, Marah was better but not for long. She started using again, this time, getting hooked on Oxycontin. When the pills became too expensive, she turned to heroin.

"I was absolutely shocked when I heard heroin. I said 'Oh, my gosh, heroin, are you kidding me? I have a child who's addicted to heroin?'" LeGate says she never thought that would be her reality.

Marah was also scared of the power that heroin had over her and she voluntarily went into detox and treatment again. But she couldn't fight off her demons, and on June 12, 2012, LeGate's worst fear was realized. At the age of 19, Marah overdosed on heroin in the basement of their home.

"Yeah, I found her. That's your worst nightmare right there. What else do I have to fear?" she asks. "Nothing."

As she was grieving the loss of her youngest daughter, LeGate knew she needed to do something to help other kids who are struggling. In her memory, she created the Marah Project.

Rather than setting up a scholarship program for kids who succeed easily, the family wanted to create a paid internship opportunity for kids in the Middle College program. They are alternative high schools that are part of the Seattle Public Schools' safety net program. LeGate says it's the reason Marah was able to graduate from high school on time.

Through the Marah Project, students at the Northgate Middle College will get paid internships at a community service organization so they not only earn an income, but they also get valuable work experience and have something on their resume. She knows it's something Marah would want her to do.

"As horrible as it is to have lost her, I somehow feel peaceful about where she is now," LeGate says. "It's like she has her hand on my shoulder and is saying I'm sorry you're having to live with this, but I'm okay and I'm finally peaceful."

Discover more about the Marah Project:
Get involved with the Marah Project

Ursula Reutin, KIRO Radio Reporter
Ursula Reutin is the news anchor for The Dori Monson Show and has worked nearly every position in the KIRO Radio newsroom since her arrival in 1988.
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Comments (51)


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  • Dan1 wrote...
    As bad as it sounds
    February 14, 2013 8:14 pm
    This is reality. She flushed her own life down the toilet. Druggies and drunks will continue to spill their addictions onto the streets of the USA with all the crime associated with it. Something was NOT right in her household. RIP little girl!
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Gangs , Cartels and America.
    February 14, 2013 10:22 pm
    All that warfare south of the border is to feed the insatiable appetite that we in America for illegal drugs.All of the gang activity we have here in Seattle and elsewhere is battling for turf to sell or "move" those illegal drugs. We can't wish this away.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • dexterjibs wrote...
    How very sad
    February 14, 2013 10:43 pm
    don't wish this on any parent. Good to see Penny trying to make something positive out of a tragedy.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Chris Halliday wrote...
    Against legalization? You have no arguement.
    February 17, 2013 4:06 am
    There is no way any drug should be illegal and that includes heroin. Prohibition of any kind is unconstitutional and counter productive. It's simply not any of the government's business what people do with their own time and money. There are a few countries out there that have adressed heroin addiction smartly. Switzerland and Britain are just two countries who actually give heroin addicts small daily doses of heroin until they are weaned off the drug. This incredibly smart practice has lead to less users and lower crime rates. At this point in my life, using any drug is stupid. I've done my fair share but don't plan on doing them again. Thank God I was able to come to that decision on my own. This girl ruined her life on her own. She had plenty of resources at her fingertips and chose not to exploit them. It's the sad truth.
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  • SickofSeattleite wrote...
    a painful personal news story
    February 17, 2013 7:10 am
    she wants to share..... ? Why? We all know what heroin does....how about grieving in private and letting your daughter rest in peace with a little dignity.
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  • cigarfan wrote...
    @SickofSeattleite
    February 17, 2013 10:46 am
    To keep Marah's memory alive and to help raise awareness and just maybe save someone else's son or daughter. My heart goes out to Marah's family.
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  • Yadda1 wrote...
    Don't be so quick to judge that which you know nothing about
    February 17, 2013 2:05 pm
    There is a family that our family has been close to for over 20 years. They have 2 daughters, 3 years apart as do we, all about the same age. Both parents were involved in their daughter's lives, the kids were both involved in sports and got good grades. Parents didn't have a history of drug or alcohol abuse--just a good, stable family. Sometime during the eighth grade, the youngest daughter started slipping away. She dropped one sport, then the other, and her grades started to slip. She started sneaking out, then staying out all night. They suspected that she was doing drugs, but sometimes it's difficult to tell. Meanwhile, the older sister continued to do well in school and sports. The parents got the whole family into counseling. Youngest daughter refused to go after a couple of sessions. She dropped out of school in her freshman year and ran away from home. A couple of months later, she was arrested for felony possession of meth. She entered what was the first of several trips to rehab--first for meth, then heroin and meth--which ended up costing her parents over $150,000. Meanwhile, older sister graduated with honors from college, got a good job and is happily married. So enough of ths crap about it being the parent's fault, sometimes it isn't. And you'd have a tough time convincing me yhat it's a moral failure on kid's part any more than childhood cancer is a moral failure. Don't be so quick to judge that which you know nothing about.
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  • Yadda1 wrote...
    Confirmed: aj is nothing but a mindless troll.
    February 17, 2013 5:20 pm
    Your lack of intelligence is exceeded only by your lack of empathy. A juvenile response at best.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • fartforce1 wrote...
    It occurs to me. She is the daughter of a Republican connected to KIRO, right?
    February 17, 2013 5:41 pm
    Yet the liberals are the druggies? riiiight!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    Fartorce???
    February 17, 2013 6:14 pm
    W T F are you talking about? Who gives a flying eF about Repulicans or Democrats on this. Go put a gun in your mouth, pull the trigger and on the world a favor.... Or better yet, go get one heroin and put yourself out of your intellectually bankrupt misery....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    @ maplefish
    February 17, 2013 8:03 pm
    Keep in mind that fartforce1 has parents too! Show a little compassion....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Yadda1 wrote...
    AJ,
    February 17, 2013 7:37 pm
    You obviously read and comprehend the articles and posts you respond to. I'm baffled as to why you've chosen to be a bomb throwing troll instead of a devil's advocate, the latter having the potential of contributing to an intellectual discourse . You appear to have the ability.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • soo purletiv wrote...
    Oh Brother, how art thou
    February 17, 2013 8:36 pm
    I lost my youngest brother to heroin. All of us kids were drug heads in high school and a little past. Some of us got out of that world, others stayed.

    I can't count on 2 hands how many friends I have lost since high school to drug related deaths.

    Parenting is a vital factor, but something else, somewhat related to parenting is also involved.

    My brother did rehab after rehab. He also served time in prison. I myself helped him as much as I could. Whether it be money, employment or just common sense counselling. How many times he spent the night at my place or how many times I lent him an ear!

    The rest of my family did what they could to help likewise, to no avail!

    When I got "THAT" phone call, the one we were expecting for a long time, it was shocking. Although I prepared myself to expect it, it still broke my heart. And in the end it killed my mother as well.

    I lost my brother and my mother in my mid to late 20s.

    We all have heard the term "you are what you eat". Meaning if we eat healthy, for the most part we will be healthy. If we eat junk, for the most part we will be junky and unhealthy.

    There are of course no guarantees!

    The same goes for our associates. When we hang with those who promote garbage, we tend to get dirty.

    My brother, unfortunately, always returned to the same trash that encouraged him to do bad. He would go to rehab or jail. But when he got out, he stayed with family for awhile, but in the end gravitated towards those who wanted him to continue in his drug use and bad behavior.

    My parents did the best they could in raising us. Unfortunately, looking back, they never took a stand when it came to those whom we were close to. Sure they voiced their displeasure at times, but never really laid down the law, so to speak. My brother had some really bad compadres, if you will. I hung with some of them likewise. Sadly, I even introduced some of them to him and encouraged him to befriend them as a teenager. As time went on, I slowly removed myself from that whole culture of drugs and associates. My brother, however never broke free. Instead, he got deeper involved.

    Today, my brother... is dead! Has been for over a decade.

    I don't own nor monopolize such tragedy. Many have felt my pain with their own family and or friends.

    Moving forward...

    I see way too many parents follow in the footsteps of my own parents. They allow their children to associate with known "bad associates". No doubt it is difficult to find kids today with parents who actually take time to "BE A PARENT". But they do exist.

    Allowing your child to "hang" with another kid whom you know is a bad influence on them, is just plain lazy and dangerous.

    Quit trying to be your children's friend. Be their dam parent while you are raising them. Being their friend will come when they are adults, if you raise them well.

    Don't be afraid of saying "HExx NO" when "HExx NO" is the right answer!

    Be consistent. Make sure your "YES" and "NO" mean what they mean!

    I don't blame my parents for my brothers demise. But even today, my father holds some guilt for some of his decisions.

    Penny LeGate is just as human as the rest of us. Sure, my brother's death didn't make the headlines. No fund, project nor scholarship was set up in his name. But the pain Penny felt was no less tragic than what my parents went through, back in the day.

    It hurts. It sucking hurts! There are no words to describe what I went through. But then to see my parents agonise over the death of their youngest child, was just unbearable. Their hearts will be forever broken, their own deaths aside.

    Sometimes it is too late to learn from our own mistakes. But it is never too late to learn from those of others...

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • maplefish wrote...
    Soo Pur
    February 17, 2013 9:55 pm
    Great post and my sympathy s. and dumbphuck, heartless dooooschbag AJ- nobody is elevating dead junkies to Sainthood. You have lowered yourself to beneath loser Junkies. eF you asshole!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • William Lawn wrote...
    Be real nice if the mom read this krap
    February 17, 2013 10:31 pm
    You fyouckers are sick.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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