Let’s fight !

August 25th-30th is National Overdose Awareness Week. 54,000 people lost their life’s in 2024 due to overdose with an average of 154 deaths per day. In the United States opioid related deaths are the leading cause of substance related deaths. We sit in 2025… in 2001 I should have been one of those opioid related deaths …having taken en entire bottle of medication. My life was perceived to not have been valued. Not by me nor my family… the only Way I knew how to end my suffering was to end it indefinitely….. I recall waking up … Ventilated not being able to move , speak or fully comprehend what had happened. From the age 12 to 15 my life was honestly a blur. It wasn’t until I turned 19 and moved into Inner-City Development and emersed myself into serving the community and meeting some of my favorite bands and musicians I still love today .. I was finally able to process all the

Grief and trauma I carried …it took me years to be at a place where I could say I was mentally safe and stable . Writing today I am so thankful to be here I have helped so many others not just at Punk Rocks Saves Life’s , but as a peer support specialist…. Music continues to be my comfort and common ground .Life while challenging can be beautiful and rewarding! It’s definitely worth fighting for, it’s a fight worth fighting together .