Mother about son’s fatal fentanyl overdose to reignite opioid conversation

WATCH – SO MANY GONE –

April 20, 2021 – Debbie had walked downstairs in her home that morning to where Matthew and his young son were sleeping.

“I found Matthew collapsed on the floor and I knew he was gone,” she said. “From that point, it was just like a fog. I just couldn’t believe it.”

She and her daughter Heather Parish are now speaking out on recreational prescription drug use.

“The scary thing about fentanyl is that it can be laced into so many things that people don’t realize what they’re taking, and it takes such a small amount to kill you and cause immediate death,” Heather explained. “No drug is safe unless it is delivered from your doctor with a prescription.”

The Parish family has teamed up with the men behind Bare Knuckle Recovery, Nate Moellering and Tommy Streeter. The brand allows them to share “experiences and advice to recovering addicts all over the world.” These two addiction recovery experts also both work for Fort Wayne Recovery, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility.

“Fentanyl is just about as easy to access as any drug you can imagine right now,” he said. “It’s literally everywhere. If someone’s using a prescription drug off the street, it’s likely full of fentanyl.”

Streeter said the two of them can empathize deeply with what the Parish family is going through.

“It definitely hits close to home,” he said. “Nate and I have both overdosed on fentanyl before. My mom and dad have found me overdosed on fentanyl in a basement before. It’s something we absolutely relate to and we really care about the people and the families that are struggling with this and that’s why we do what we do now.”