Star and Cathy Isford Profiled!

I met Star Isford while interviewing for my film. The tragic story of her younger sister Cathy is told on True Stories of Ecstasy and Ketamine, mostly by Star and her dad. Cathy's story is so touching and impactful -- Star honors her sister by sharing the story with kids at risk and parents who are too often in denial.

Today's Orange County Register deservedly put Star on its front page in a wonderful story by Greg Hardesty, their most talented feature writer. Here's how it starts:

When Star Isford was 16, her drug-abusing mother stabbed her in the leg with a steak knife and forced her to drink Palmolive dish soap, which tore into her stomach like shards of glass.

"God assassinated her," Isford says of her mother's death from a tick bite a decade ago.

Over the years, Isford has used methamphetamine and other drugs, and has struggled with weight issues and relationships (she has four children with three fathers).

She has made some bad decisions. And her sister made a decision that cost her her life.

So when the 29-year-old talks to teens about making the right choices, she speaks with authority - but is careful not to ram her advice down their throats.

"I can't sit there and be the preachy mom - and I'm not there to rag on them," says Isford, her hair dyed blood red. "I'm not trying to convert or turn around kids completely.

"What I do is tell them the truth ... and let them make a decision."

Star and I agree so much on this, which is why we work so hard to get True Stories of Ecstasy & Ketamine into the hands of those who need it. Read the rest of Greg's wonderful story here.