You need to read this emotional obituary for its honesty about addiction

A woman's obituary has gone viral after she died of a drug overdose.

Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir died on 7 October, surrounded by family, and her relatives wrote an honest and moving obituary remembering her while also talking candidly about her drug addiction.

An addiction that took her life.

"It is impossible to capture a person in an obituary, and especially someone whose adult life was largely defined by drug addiction," they write.

To some, Maddie was just a junkie - when they saw her addiction, they stopped seeing her. And what a loss for them, because Maddie was hilarious, and warm, and fearless, and resilient.

The family also talked about the birth of her son Ayden in 2014, and her relentless struggle with staying sober for him. A relapse made her lose custody of her son, and in the following years leading up to her death she suffered.

They categorised her addiction as an "illness".

During the past two years especially, her disease brought her to places of incredible darkness, and this darkness compounded on itself, as each unspeakable thing that happened to her and each horrible thing she did in the name of her disease exponentially increased her pain and shame.

The family went on to talk about "12 wonderful days" they had with Madelyn in which she spent the day happy and sober, before "her addiction stalked her and stole her once again".

They went on to offer advise to those who are suffering from addiction:

 If you work in one of the many institutions through which addicts often pass - rehabs, hospitals, jails, courts - and treat them with the compassion and respect they deserve, thank you. 

If instead you see a junkie or thief or liar in front of you rather than a human being in need of help, consider a new profession. 

And to Maddie, they had a message:

We take comfort in knowing that Maddie is surrounded by light, free from the struggle that haunted her. We would have given anything for her to experience that freedom in this lifetime. Our grief over losing her is infinite. And now so is she.

More: Kanye West gave free Yeezys away to Ugandan kids - but he's facing criticism for it

More: Beto O'Rourke used a nickname invented by Donald Trump to insult Ted Cruz during their TV debate