WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Tena Pruitt and Virginia Krieger know what it's like to lose a loved one because of fentanyl. For Pruitt, it started when her son lost a friend, and for relief, he took a pill.
“Somehow, somewhere we still don’t know where he got it. He didn’t know what he was accepting. The only thing he knew was that he needed sleep and he probably accepted something thinking he was going to get sleep,” said Pruitt.
Her son was only 22 years old when he died.
Krieger lost her daughter, Tiffany, at 26.
“It was a pill made to look like a Percocet. And it killed her. She wasn't what you'd expect, not a victim most people assume died from something like this. She didn’t have a history of drug abuse,” said Krieger.
Both women are headed to Washington D.C. to participate in a rally organized by the nonprofit Lost Voices of Fentanyl. The rally aims to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and to humanize the issue. Pruitt said her child made one mistake, and that mistake ended his life.
“They shouldn’t have to die from choices they make. We have all made mistakes, but we haven’t died from them,” said Pruitt.
Krieger said she wants to see more education surrounding the fentanyl epidemic.
“Public education like a COVID response. We should have fentanyl prevention in schools, public safety announcements on TV, radio and social media,” said Krieger.
She also wants more Narcan in places like schools and hotels.
“We want naloxone to be as common in this crisis as a fire extinguisher. It saves precious moments for people to get there and keep someone alive,” said Krieger.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, fentanyl was involved in 81% of drug overdoses in 2020.
That number is up from 71% in 2017.
In 2020, 5,017 people died from a drug overdose in Ohio. The lives that can still be saved are why Pruitt and Krieger are rallying.
“It’s turning pain into purpose," said Krieger. That’s one of the best things we can do. I can’t change what happened to my daughter but maybe I can change it for someone else.”