For a long time, the link between opioid pain medication prescribed by doctors and addiction to "harder" drugs like heroin was obfuscated by underhanded tactics and stigma. Addicts were blamed for their problems and ostracized, regardless of the origins of their addiction.
Even now, as the opioid epidemic gains mainstream acceptance and pharmaceutical companies begin to be held accountable, there is still a stigma associated with overdose deaths.
Ryan was 25 when he injected heroin that he didn't know was laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are cheaper to produce, which make them popular with dealers. However, fentanyl is also 50 times more potent than heroin and Ryan had no idea he was using it.
In the year before his death in December 2018, nearly 30,000 deaths were recorded due to overdoses of fentanyl or other synthetic opioids.
She'd done what she could to help and often sent care packages to him in Connecticut from her home in Florida. She admits that she worried sending money would just lead to more drugs.
When he died, she realized that she wasn't the only parent who struggled with the stigma of its cause. "As parents, we shouldn’t be ostracized about how our children died," she told The Washington Post.
So she began making cards.
I hand-make cards and send them to other grieving parents. The FRoM Project (Forever Ryan’s Mom) is just one way and one thing that I can do to hopefully let a parent know that they themselves are not forgotten. Maybe that one moment when they open the card will offer some comfort when they need it.
She describes his hobbies and personality, things that defined him beyond his addiction.
Through her example, she hopes other grieving parents will feel that it's okay to talk about their own children without the specter of addiction.
The cards are all freely sent, though some kind supporters of the project have donated stamps and other card-making supplies.
To learn more about the project or request a card for yourself or someone you know, visit The FRoM Project's Facebook page.
h/t: The Washington Post
