Fentanyl crisis impacting Valley families

MISSION, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — “This epidemic is not going away. It’s just getting worse, and the ages of the children dying are younger and younger every day. So, I wanted to educate our community on the dangers of fentanyl and hopefully save lives.”

Those were the words of Sandra Bagwell, who lost her 19-year-old son to the drug. Today, the non-profit organization Texas Against Fentanyl (TXAF) was in Mission is offering information on the dangers of opioids and their growing impact across the Rio Grande Valley.

Local parents also address how they believe communication is key to stopping this crisis.

Those who made speeches during the conference were several parents from around the state from areas like Kyle, Corpus Christi, Leander, and elsewhere. A few from the Valley spoke about the loved ones they lost to the drug.

Belinda Vega’s son, Jake, was only 16 years old when he overdosed on fentanyl. She had no idea how bad the situation was until she checked her son’s cell phone.

“I found several females and boys asking for pills and from whom they can get pills and high school girls they were talking about trading sex for pills,” Vega said.

Vega says she was too late in checking her son’s social media platforms and warns others to do so before it’s too late. One local substance abuse organization says the issue is real among local youth.

“There is an increase,” said Elsa Medrano, works at Palmer Drug Abuse Program. “I mean we see people going to the hospital or people coming to our facility.”

Medrano says mental health issues also entice people to use drugs. Patricia Maldonado, an Edinburg resident and mother, says she attended to help get information to protect her children from the drugs and also to understand how it can progress from one drug to another.

“There are broken homes out there who don’t have that foundation. I myself experienced anxiety and depression in the past,” Maldonado said. “And, one medication can drive you to more things to numb the pain, issues and mental illness.”

One parent, Marsha Tulloch-Abraham, a mission resident, took her daughters to the conference, so they could see the dangers of taking drugs early on.

“They are 7 and I told them that I want to know that this thing is serious and people are dying,” Tulloch-Abraham said. “So, I was like looking at the faces because they are no more and they can’t see mommy no more or daddy no more or family and friends anymore because they are dead. And you know why? Because they took a pill they were not supposed to. Whatever the case is. Get it in there.”

Vicki Kriska lost her 26-year-old son, Christopher, to fentanyl and advises parents to be more involved in their children’s lives and get ahead of the problem.

“I wished I would have been more involved and more there to actually see,” Kriska said. “Because I would ask him, and he would say everything is fine, but the last few times I did see him, he was totally different.”

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