Justyna Told Everybody She Was Pregnant. Heroin Silenced Her.

WAYNE, NJ — The day 20-year-old Justyna Dolegowski found out she was pregnant, she couldn't wait to tell everyone. And she didn't even rely on email or Facebook. She wanted to tell as many people right away, face-to-face. Even if it meant driving to see them.

The Wayne resident told her sister, Beata, who was with her at the time. Then they drove to her mother’s job to reveal the news before rushing over to her sister Iwona’s place of work, where "all the sisters wept tears of joy," according to the family.

"The whole family was filled with excitement," they said. "Her best friend, Samantha Falato, was just as excited to hear the news. Justyna and Samantha have been best friends for over 13 years, and when out in public, people would often mistake them as twins. They were inseparable."

Dolegowski stayed as close to her family and friends as possible as she reached her sixth month. She was so excited that she already had a name picked out: Christian. Just a week ago, she was with her mother and siblings at home admiring Christian’s baby kicks.

"There was a special joy and light in her eyes and she just couldn’t wait to hold him in her arms," the family said.

But Dolegowski will never hold her son or play with him, and neither will her family and friends.

On Jan. 16, in her sixth month of pregnancy, she and Christian died from a heroin overdose. Her family recalled her joy, and their love for Dolegowski and her unborn child, in an obituary published by the Wayne Colonial Funeral Home.

Like many have before them, they used the obituary as an opportunity to shed light on the national drug epidemic that has plagued New Jersey, stressing the fact that addiction "is a family disease."

"One person may use, but the whole family suffers," part of the obituary reads. "Heroin will kidnap you, raise you, take your soul and return only your body to your family," the obituary states. "Addiction is the only prison where the locks are on the inside, but before you can break out of prison you must realize you are locked up."

Dolegowski's siblings created a GoFundMe page to help their mother with funeral and related expenses. More than $8,000 has been donated since the page went live six days ago.

"No matter how far you have gone, you can turn around before it is too late. Always remember that in some way or another, you are somebody’s angel, even if you do not realize it." — Justyna Dolegowski's obituary

"There may be no single thing that can teach us more about life then death itself. Never underestimate a person recovering from addiction," Dolegowski's sister, Beata, wrote on the page. "Waking up every single day with a never ending battle that no ordinary person would ever comprehend."

The family recalled how Dolegowski was so many others who have succumbed to addiction, and how many lived normal lives before heroin got in the way.

Dolegowski enjoyed swimming at Tomahawk Lake in Sparta and walking near the Hudson River in Hoboken. She was very close with her family, especially her 4-year-old niece Maya, with whom she shared a very special bond.

In the obituary, the family made a heartfelt plea to addicts to always remember that they are loved.

"No matter how far you have gone, you can turn around before it is too late. Always remember that in some way or another, you are somebody’s angel, even if you do not realize it," the obituary states. "They love you and think of you even if you do not hear it every day. Trust that there is love all around you even if you cannot feel it. You are not alone."

Dolegowski is survived by her parents Malgorzata “Margaret” Dolegowski of Wayne and Janusz Dolegowski of Wallington; sisters Iwona, Beata and Hanna; brother Bart Strzelcyk; boyfriend Robert Mlynarski and a large family of aunts, uncles and cousins. You can read the whole obituary by clicking here.

Visitation with the family is at Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.

Photo: Justyna Dolegowski/Courtesy of GoFundMe