Meredith (Mya) G.

By Meredith's mom, Susan

Meredith (Mya) Stephanie Myers Goerdt

Meredith was born on February 23, 1989 during a snowstorm in Williamsburg, Virginia. Full of energy, with an impish smile, and a playful heart, “MerBear” excelled at playing the clarinet, gymnastics, volleyball and track. She adored her big brother, Corey, and possessed the uncanny knack of getting him in trouble for her antics.

Meredith struggled in adolescence with ADD and depression. She completed high school in 2006 and headed for south Florida, seeking her own niche.  There, “Mya” applied her free spirit to piercing, suspension acrobatics, and on the canvas of her beautiful skin, which accrued many tattoos. She returned home periodically to Iowa for summer family reunions.

Meredith aspired to be a welder and had begun coursework toward to be a welder in 2016.  After 30 days in the hospital, Meredith was released on September 14, clean and sober.  Elated to be free of her addiction, she planned to return to Des Moines. She joyfully received family support, evidence of her heart’s turn toward recovery. Meredith planned to begin substance use and mental health treatment, return to welding school, and maybe even take up the banjo with her mom.

Meredith lost a friend to a heroin overdose in St. Pete on September 18th. Broken hearted, she turned to the most dependable means she knew for treating emotional pain.

Meredith died at age 29 on Wednesday, September 19, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, FL, of a heroin overdose. If toxicology tests find fentanyl, her death will be considered a murder. We are heartbroken. She was so close to beginning her sober life. I (Susan, Meredith’s mom) don’t think any of us realized how vulnerable she was. No one will ever replace her. I long so to hold her, to touch her sweet face, hear her voice, her laugh, and to tell her how I love and miss her.