A mother’s mission to raise awareness around fentanyl
September 12, 2024 at 12:54 p.m.
On Aug. 4, 2020, 23-year-old Garrett Johnson tragically lost his life to an accidental fentanyl overdose. Unaware that the pill he had taken, which he believed to be Ambien, was actually pure Fentanyl, Garrett passed away instantly. His mother, Joetta, has made it her mission to raise awareness about the dangers of Fentanyl and be a catalyst for change. While advocating, Joetta also hopes to honor her son’s memory by fulfilling one of Garrett’s dreams.
“Garrett wanted to travel and hit all of the states,” Joetta said. “Of course, he never got to do that. So that’s my goal, to get him to all 50 states.”
In her quest to raise awareness and educate others about the dangers of Fentanyl, Joetta is successfully achieving Garrett’s dream. Most recently, Garrett’s picture was displayed in Times Square in New York City during a rally. Joetta is a part of a Fentanyl Awareness group that offered the opportunity.
“I submitted Garret’s information not knowing if it would get chosen or not, but he got picked,” Joetta explained. “In its own way, I feel like I am fulfilling Garret’s dream of traveling and being a part of such a huge event at Times Square in New York. It was an honor to be able to do that.”
So far, Joetta has got Garrett to Texas, Mississippi, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Joetta has been participating in a Fentanyl Poisoning Rally in Washington, D.C., for the past two years. Two years ago, when speaking to DEA agents, she found out that someone died of Fentanyl poisoning every 11 minutes. This year, she discovered the death rate has increased to one person dying every five minutes.
“It’s very scary that it is increasing,” Joetta said. “What people are not aware of is all it takes is a very, very small amount of Fentanyl to kill them. My goal is to try just to educate people on this matter and get them to understand that it’s here; it’s not going anywhere.”
In light of that information, when Joetta returned home from the rally, she went to local gas stations and passed out Narcan kits and instructions on how to use them properly.
“I just feel like people need to be aware so they can get that Narcan administered and start CPR immediately so there is a chance they can bring them back.”
Joetta is of the opinion the primary obstacle lies in the insufficient education provided to both parents and children concerning Fentanyl.
“You may have a friend you trust giving you the medicine,” Joetta said. “Your friend may give you that, not knowing there is something on it or in it. There are so many cases of people asking for aspirin and getting Fentanyl because they didn’t know when they went into mom’s cabinet the aspirin had Fentanyl on it.”
Joetta believes another major roadblock is the stigma surrounding mental illness and drug use, which are many times closely related.
“People are ashamed. Garett was suffering from depression and things, and I think if we take out the mental part when we are talking about mental illnesses and just say it’s an illness, more people are willing to go and get the help they need. We all have addiction tendencies of some sort or another. I think if we all would come together, it helps stop the stigma. When someone comes to you and asks for help, don’t judge them. They are coming to you because, one, they feel like they could come to you, and, two, they are in a dark place and need help. So would you rather help them now and break down these barriers and not judge them, or would you rather be at their funeral in six months because they felt like that was their only way.”
When asked how Joetta finds the strength to relive her tragedy to help others, she shared, “A lot of my strength comes from God and the promise that one day I will see Garrett again. Also, I am grateful for the love and support from my family, friends, and coworkers. They have all rallied around me and stood by me when I have needed to have a moment of crying. I feel like if I can save one other mother from feeling this pain, I guess all the pain and heartache has a purpose.”
At the end of the day, Joetta also hopes her work is making Garrett proud.
“I hope he is beaming and saying, ‘That’s my mom down there. Did you see that?’ I hope he is proud that I am trying to make a difference in his honor and keep his memory alive.”
Joetta wants the community to know if they ever need help locating resources, whether it be Narcan or CPR lessons, they can reach out to her and she will do everything in her power to help provide them.
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On Aug. 4, 2020, 23-year-old Garrett Johnson tragically lost his life to an accidental fentanyl overdose. Unaware that the pill he had taken, which he believed to be Ambien, was actually pure Fentanyl, Garrett passed away instantly. His mother, Joetta, has made it her mission to raise awareness about the dangers of Fentanyl and be a catalyst for change. While advocating, Joetta also hopes to honor her son’s memory by fulfilling one of Garrett’s dreams.
“Garrett wanted to travel and hit all of the states,” Joetta said. “Of course, he never got to do that. So that’s my goal, to get him to all 50 states.”
In her quest to raise awareness and educate others about the dangers of Fentanyl, Joetta is successfully achieving Garrett’s dream. Most recently, Garrett’s picture was displayed in Times Square in New York City during a rally. Joetta is a part of a Fentanyl Awareness group that offered the opportunity.
“I submitted Garret’s information not knowing if it would get chosen or not, but he got picked,” Joetta explained. “In its own way, I feel like I am fulfilling Garret’s dream of traveling and being a part of such a huge event at Times Square in New York. It was an honor to be able to do that.”
So far, Joetta has got Garrett to Texas, Mississippi, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Colorado, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Joetta has been participating in a Fentanyl Poisoning Rally in Washington, D.C., for the past two years. Two years ago, when speaking to DEA agents, she found out that someone died of Fentanyl poisoning every 11 minutes. This year, she discovered the death rate has increased to one person dying every five minutes.
“It’s very scary that it is increasing,” Joetta said. “What people are not aware of is all it takes is a very, very small amount of Fentanyl to kill them. My goal is to try just to educate people on this matter and get them to understand that it’s here; it’s not going anywhere.”
In light of that information, when Joetta returned home from the rally, she went to local gas stations and passed out Narcan kits and instructions on how to use them properly.
“I just feel like people need to be aware so they can get that Narcan administered and start CPR immediately so there is a chance they can bring them back.”
Joetta is of the opinion the primary obstacle lies in the insufficient education provided to both parents and children concerning Fentanyl.
“You may have a friend you trust giving you the medicine,” Joetta said. “Your friend may give you that, not knowing there is something on it or in it. There are so many cases of people asking for aspirin and getting Fentanyl because they didn’t know when they went into mom’s cabinet the aspirin had Fentanyl on it.”
Joetta believes another major roadblock is the stigma surrounding mental illness and drug use, which are many times closely related.
“People are ashamed. Garett was suffering from depression and things, and I think if we take out the mental part when we are talking about mental illnesses and just say it’s an illness, more people are willing to go and get the help they need. We all have addiction tendencies of some sort or another. I think if we all would come together, it helps stop the stigma. When someone comes to you and asks for help, don’t judge them. They are coming to you because, one, they feel like they could come to you, and, two, they are in a dark place and need help. So would you rather help them now and break down these barriers and not judge them, or would you rather be at their funeral in six months because they felt like that was their only way.”
When asked how Joetta finds the strength to relive her tragedy to help others, she shared, “A lot of my strength comes from God and the promise that one day I will see Garrett again. Also, I am grateful for the love and support from my family, friends, and coworkers. They have all rallied around me and stood by me when I have needed to have a moment of crying. I feel like if I can save one other mother from feeling this pain, I guess all the pain and heartache has a purpose.”
At the end of the day, Joetta also hopes her work is making Garrett proud.
“I hope he is beaming and saying, ‘That’s my mom down there. Did you see that?’ I hope he is proud that I am trying to make a difference in his honor and keep his memory alive.”
Joetta wants the community to know if they ever need help locating resources, whether it be Narcan or CPR lessons, they can reach out to her and she will do everything in her power to help provide them.