3 weeks ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - National Fentanyl Awareness Day is connected Aug. 21, and it serves arsenic a somber reminder of the ongoing situation surrounding 1 of the astir potent synthetic opioids successful the U.S.
The time serves arsenic an accidental for families, assemblage leaders, and healthcare advocates to rise consciousness astir the dangers of fentanyl—an highly almighty cause that continues to assertion lives crossed the country.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), portion there’s been a driblet successful fentanyl usage among younger people, the cause remains the starring origin of overdose deaths successful the U.S.
For Elaine Hudson, the information of fentanyl became heartbreakingly existent connected April 17, 2020—the time she mislaid her 20-year-old son, Frankie Deprima.
“I recovered my son, Frankie Deprima, dormant successful his room,” she said. “Somebody gave him an Xanax laced with fentanyl.”
Initially, his origin of decease was unclear. But a hunt of his country revealed a baggie containing 9 Xanax pills.
According to Hudson, the 1 pill Frankie took was the lone 1 laced with fentanyl. The remainder were mostly aspirin and Unisom.
“Frankie had six times the lethal dose of fentanyl successful his system,” she said.
Hudson didn’t adjacent cognize what fentanyl was until she received the toxicology report. Now, she shares her communicative to pass others.
“Losing a kid is the astir achy thing. I can’t adjacent explicate what it feels like,” she said.
In Fresno, Flindt Andersen, the Executive Director of Pain—Parents and Addicts successful Need, says fentanyl is dissimilar immoderate different drug.
“It doesn’t substance what colour idiosyncratic is, it doesn’t substance wherever you’re from… this cause has nary boundaries,” Andersen said. “Fentanyl is simply a synthetic cause that’s made successful a lab. We tin marque those synthetic drugs arsenic almighty arsenic we want.”
Andersen says fentanyl tin beryllium up to 50 times much almighty than heroin—and it continues to devastate communities of each backgrounds.
Despite the alarming trends, determination are glimmers of hope. Preliminary information from the CDC shows a 25% alteration successful overdose deaths compared to this clip past year.
Still, for families similar Hudson's, each time is fentanyl consciousness day.
“We’re continually trying to fto everybody cognize that fentanyl is here—and it’s present to stay,” Andersen said.
