Many people remember the Tylenol murders in the Chicago area from 1982 and how it resulted in better seals for food and over-the-counter drug packaging. 

But Kasia Janus-Iverson’s family was directly affected when her father purchased some of those poisoned pain relievers. 

Kasia spoke at the Oct. 23 Rotary meeting about the murders and how her family’s life was changed forever in a talk titled, “Turning Pain into Purpose: A Family’s Story of Resilience and Advocacy.” 

Kasia now lives in Madison, but she shared about her childhood in Chicagoland when seven people died by taking Extra Strength Tylenol capsules that had been laced with cyanide. The first person poisoned was a 4-year-old from Elk Grove who was sick and home from school when her father gave her a Tylenol. 

Not long after, Tasia’s father picked her up at preschool, stopped at the store for Tylenol and brought her home, where Tasia played with her mother, while he lay down. Tasia remembers her mother finding him and screaming over his body. Initially, responders thought Tasia’s father had died of a heart attack and were shocked; he was just 27 years old. 

Later that day, Tasia’s aunt and uncle came to the house. They had just been married, and her uncle was close to her father. 

Both her aunt and uncle took some of the Tylenol on Tasia’s family’s kitchen counter.

“It was deja vu all over again for me,” she said, remembering her mother screaming again. 

Firefighters and paramedics were also called to the scene and all went to the hospital where they were quarantined. No one knew what was causing the mysterious deaths until a nurse and other medical professionals began to put the pieces together, linking their deaths to the young girl who had passed away. 

“They all came to the common conclusion that it was Tylenol. They finally found the common denominator,” Kasia said. 

Kasia’s mother, who was from Poland, was widowed, a single mother with no other family in the United States. Kasia was 4 and her brother was 2. 

But the community lifted the family up, helping wherever needed, and inviting them along to every church and school outing. All the while, Kasia, her mother and her brother were silently grieving, she said. 

Kasia broke the silence many years later with the help of therapy. After she had her son, she wanted to tell him the history of their family. She began keeping a journal and posting on social media during occasions such as her father’s birthday or Father’s Day. 

“Part of healing was telling my story,” she said, adding she has collaborated with CNN and PBS on productions about the murders. She wanted to honor the victims. 

Kasia held a celebration of life for her father, uncle and aunt afterwards, inviting everyone who had had an impact on the family. She wanted the next generation to know who her family members were. 

All the while, Kasia has worked with Rainbows for All Children, an organization that supports children grieving a significant loss, and The Microfinance Africa Projects Alliance Foundation, which provides health care.

Through her journey, Kasia has learned that grief never goes away. It comes in waves, and you want to embrace it as it can teach lessons like resiliency.

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Other News

The sign-up is ready for Rotary in Lights. There will be 39 days of lights and more people will be needed on Saturday nights, when two rows of traffic will be guided through the park, Jennifer Tasker said. Traffic has been backing up Main Street, and this should alleviate it. Rotarians are asked to sign up in the next two weeks, and then the sign-up will be released to other organizations. Tracy volunteered to turn the lights on each evening. 

Phil Willems reported that he, Nancy Thomas and Braden West of the high school Rotaract Club, gave away 600 bags of Kettle Korn at the Boo Bash Event. 

Food for Kidz about 1,000 volunteers this year who packaged more than 323,000 meals. Next year, they will likely hit the 5 millionth meal mark. 

Coming Up

On Oct. 25 at 9 a.m., club members will begin working on the Rotary Lights display and will continue each morning afterwards. 

The Chamber of Commerce Holiday Open House is Nov. 6. 

The Rotary Club’s Christmas party is Dec. 2 at Centenario. 

Guests: Our speakers

Greeters: Oct. 30, Shelley Moffatt and David Rupp; Nov. 6. Tom Kennedy and Dan Statz; Nov. 13, Shauna Hughey and Nancy Thomas; Nov. 20, Dave Rupp and Jean Elvekrog; Nov. 27, Thanksgiving!

To sign up to greet or to find out when you are greeting, visit: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054CAAAA2CA7F85-44320149-2023#/