Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/883365
3 0 | PULSE Fa l l 2 0 1 7 KARL MCMILLEN: DEDICATED TO FIGHTING TEEN ADDICTION Fourteen years ago Karl McMillen donated $5.3 million, allowing Torrance Memorial to create the elma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment, an expansion of the hospital's chemical dependency treatment program, named aer his late wife, elma. At his insistence, the Center expanded ser vices and added an adoles- cent program, going from a staff of six to a staff of 25. From personal tragedy, McMillen and his wife became dedicated to helping others, especially teens, fight ad- diction. e McMillens had two sons, Mark and Chris. eir oldest son, Mark, died from a drug overdose in 1986. eir youngest son, Chris, also struggled with long-term addiction problems. Chris was on his way to beating his addiction but died from cancer in 2010. McMillen, who has been sober for more than 20 years, has dedicated his life to assisting families caught up in the devastating and hard-to-treat disease of addiction. McMillen also authored the book Triumphs and Tragedies: A True Story of Wealth and Addiction, chronicling just how difficult it was for his family to spot, treat and help his sons in the 1980s, when there were few treatment centers or resources for fighting addiction. e tragedies the McMillens endured are ones no family ever wants to go through—and are the powerful inspiration and guiding force behind the elma McMillen Center for Alcohol and Drug Treatment.