Saving Lily

“Well done. Easy to read and the truth about addiction.”

“This book was a hard read and an easy read. Hard because it covers the truth about how the disease of addiction works and what it will take to provide treatment to all. Easy because Marlon and Kantor weave together gripping true experiences with an academic understanding of the disease and treatment, making it an interesting read for both expert and layman.”

“A groundbreaking contribution to addiction literature, Saving Lily merges raw memoir with clinical expertise to redefine crisis narratives. Marlon and Kantor deliver electrifying urgency through two powerful perspectives: a clinician’s transformative journey and a resilient woman’s decades-long battle against co-occurring disorders. Their visionary analysis of systemic healthcare failures and advocacy for integrated recovery models charts essential pathways through our opioid crisis. This definitive work stands as an indispensable compass for policymakers, clinicians, and communities seeking transformative solutions.”

“This is more than a recovery story—it’s a reckoning with the systems that fail so many. Saving Lily is raw, rigorous, and relentlessly human. Dr. David Marlon doesn’t just tell the story of recovery—he shows us what it costs, what it demands, and what it means to fight for someone else’s life as if it were your own. Through lived experience, clinical clarity, and real-world practice, he offers a clear view of what effective, person-centered care can look like—and what must shift across systems to make it sustainable, accessible, and real. I recognize the truth in these pages—it’s both a testimony and a blueprint. This unflinching narrative doesn’t just critique what’s broken—it calls us to build life bridges rooted in respect, compassion, and dignity. Saving Lily pressed on my heart and my calling. Every chapter demanded attention—from both the advocate and the human in me.

“Saving Lily is a powerful, unflinching, and deeply compassionate guide to understanding and treating the deadly brain disease of addiction. Dr. Dave Marlon weaves his own harrowing journey with the story of Lily. A woman whose battle with co-occurring disorders and homelessness lays bare the urgency of integrated, dignified, and person-centered care. What results is more than a book, it is a manual, a mirror, and a mission. Both clinically sound and emotionally searing, this work belongs in the hands of every mental health professional, faith leader, and advocate committed to healing our most wounded neighbors. As a clinician, priest, and someone who shares in Dr. Marlon’s mission through our work at Vegas Stronger and beyond, I can attest to the wisdom, clarity, and heart this book offers. Dave has not only written a blueprint for recovery, he’s modeled a life of purpose, transformation, and service. Saving Lily is a gift to the field, to the community, and to the soul. It reminds us that no one is too far gone, and that healing is not only possible, it’s holy.”

“Real talk from the front lines: Kantor and Marlon take on addiction and co-occurring disorders with empathy, rigor, and years of fieldwork. They trace the human toll and map the systemic repairs we actually need, and how they work in the real-world, not just in theory. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to bridge the gap between idealism and realism when it comes to addiction and recovery.”