I never thought this would happen to my family. I never imagined that fentanyl—this invisible, silent killer—would steal my son away. I never thought that the drug crisis we see on the news would find its way into my world, my home, my child. No! It happens to other people, not me.
But it did. And I still can’t wrap my mind around it.
Garet was always a bright, curious, old soul. The kind of boy who wanted to make everyone happy, who could talk to anyone, who would sit and have conversations with strangers just because he loved learning from people, especially older people. He wasn’t reckless. He wasn’t a troublemaker. He was goofy. He was a smartass. He was the kid who worked hard, saved his money, and made plans for the future. The kid who would quietly slip a gift onto a siblings pillow to find at bedtime. And yet, somehow, this still happened.
I wish I had known the warning signs I wasn’t seeing. I wish I had known what was happening before it was too late. I wish someone had told me that fentanyl isn’t just a drug crisis—it’s a poisoning epidemic. It slithers into a soul and changes them forever, sometimes just from one use. That is how powerful fentanyl is!
I can’t change what happened to Garet. I cannot fix my family. But I can share his story. Because if even one parent, one teenager, or one person reads this and realizes the danger before it’s too late—then maybe I can save someone else’s child. Then maybe my son’s death won’t be in vain.
Here’s what I wish I had known before losing my son to fentanyl.
💜 1. Fentanyl Is Everywhere—And It’s Being Mixed into Everything
Before I lost Garet, I thought fentanyl was just another drug, something that only affected people who were knowingly using hard drugs. I didn’t realize that fentanyl is being mixed into everything. It’s not just in heroin or opioids—it’s being found in fake prescription pills, especially “perc30”.
Garet didn’t set out to use fentanyl. He didn’t wake up one day and decide to try something deadly. It started with something that seemed small—something that felt safe because others told him it was. Someone he trusted convinced him that Adderall would help him focus. That taking a pill here and there wasn’t a big deal. That he could control it. And that’s where it began. I know my son made that horrible choice to give drugs a try. He should have held to what I had taught. But kids are kids, and kids do stupid things and make mistakes but those mistakes are not supposed to be deadly!
What he didn’t know—and what I didn’t know at the time—is that once you enter that world, fentanyl is everywhere. It’s being mixed into everything, often without people even realizing it. It only takes 2 milligrams—the size of a few grains of salt—to kill someone. That’s not an overdose. That’s poisoning.
If you think this can’t happen to your child, please think again. Garet wasn’t reckless. He wasn’t living on the streets. He was a hardworking kid who had a job, a family, and a future. And yet, fentanyl still found its way to him and took it all away.
💜 2. One Pill Can Kill—And It’s Not an Overdose, It’s Poisoning
One of the biggest misconceptions about fentanyl is that it’s just another drug people abuse. But this isn’t an overdose crisis—it’s a poisoning epidemic. I know so many parents whose children’s ‘drug of choice’ was cocaine or heroin, and yet autopsy reports show very little—if any—of that drug in their system.
Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It’s so potent that just 2 milligrams—the size of a few grains of salt—can be deadly. The terrifying part? Most people don’t even know they’re taking it.
Garet wasn’t looking for fentanyl in the beginning. He wanted to calm his anxiety and cheer up. To be funnier than he already was. He wasn’t trying to experiment with something dangerous. But fentanyl doesn’t care who you are, how good of a person you are, or whether you just made a mistake. Dealers don’t care, either. They mix fentanyl into fake prescription pills—Percocet, Oxycodone, Xanax—because it’s cheaper, takes less to get high, and is more addictive. They disguise it as something else so that people take it without realizing what they’re actually getting. This was a talk Garet and I had several times, and he would say that when you use, you just know how much is safe. And over and over again I would say that only works if every batch is exactly the same—and it isn’t because dealers don’t care about the person, just the money.
One pill can kill. Correction. 1/4 of a pill can kill!! Not because someone is “abusing drugs” but because they were lied to. Because the world of drugs today isn’t what it was 10 or 20 years ago. The game has changed, and parents and teens alike need to understand the danger. In one “batch”, you may get one pill that has zero fentanyl, and another may be ALL fentanyl. There are no quality standards for fake drugs.
If you think your child wouldn’t take a pill from a friend or try something “just once,” please talk to them anyway. Make sure they know the risk, because I promise you—Garet didn’t think this would happen to him, either. So PLEASE, PLEASE annoy your kids. Watch them close. Share Garet’s story and let’s make some positive changes!
💜 3. It’s Incredibly Easy for Teens & Young Adults to Access
If you think your child couldn’t get their hands on drugs, please know this: it’s easier than ever. Fentanyl-laced pills and other substances are being sold openly on social media—Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok. Dealers disguise themselves as “friends,” offering what look like harmless prescription pills, party drugs, or even vape cartridges. I can tell you it is easier to get fentanyl on the streets than marijuana. But marijuana does not kill.
Long before Garet ever tried his first drug of any kind, he had an online “friend”—someone who glamorized that world, made it look exciting, made it seem normal. That person went by Juggz, and to this day, I don’t even know if he knows Garet is gone. But I know he played a role in my son’s downfall.
Then came the workplace influence. His second job wasn’t a safe place. Almost everyone there was using something, and when that’s the environment you’re in every day, it’s hard not to get pulled in. When your coworkers normalize drug use, it stops looking like a bad decision—it just becomes part of the culture. That is the sad, horrible, truth.
And this is the part that makes me sick to my stomach:
So many people knew what was happening and never told me. They told me at his memorial. If someone had spoken up sooner, if I had known what was happening, could I have saved him? I don’t know. But I would have died trying. What I do know is this: Parents have to start having these conversations earlier and often because the danger is already closer than you think. If your gut is telling you something isnt right with your child no matter the age–trust it, It may save them.
💜 4. Narcan Can Save Lives—But Many Families Don’t Know About It
Before losing Garet, I didn’t know much about Narcan (naloxone). I thought it was something only emergency responders or medical professionals had access to. I had no idea that Narcan can be carried by everyday people—and that it could have saved my son’s life if used in time.
Narcan is a medication that reverses opioid poisoning within minutes. It can bring someone back from the brink of death if they’ve unknowingly ingested fentanyl. It’s available over the counter in many states and can often be obtained for free from harm reduction programs.
I wish I had known that.
I wish more people talked about it—because fentanyl is killing thousands of people every year, and Narcan could be the difference between life and death.
If you have teenagers, carry Narcan. Even if you think they’d never touch drugs. Even if you believe with your whole heart that they would never be in that situation. Because one pill, one bad decision, one moment of trusting the wrong person is all it takes. Maybe it won’t be your child that you save, but it could be a friend or even a neighbor.
This isn’t just about “drug addicts.” This is about protecting lives. It’s about giving someone another chance. And if I had known then what I know now, I would have done anything to make sure Garet—and every person he loved—had Narcan in their hands.
💜 5. Talking About It Earlier Could Save a Life
If I could go back, I would have started talking to Garet about fentanyl sooner. I would have told him how dangerous it was, how easily it’s hidden in other drugs, how even one mistake could be deadly. But I didn’t know. I explained why he shouldn’t open the door. Over and over and over. In fact, I have a journal entry he wrote that mentioned our talks just days before he left us.
I thought I had time. I thought that if anything were ever wrong, I’d see the signs. I thought my son—**the hardworking, kind-hearted, old-soul boy who never gave me trouble—**was safe.
I was wrong.
Parents, please don’t assume your child already knows how dangerous fentanyl is. Talk to them, even if you don’t think they need the conversation. Even if you believe with your whole heart that they would never take a pill from a friend, never experiment, never be in a situation where they could be exposed.
Because I promise you—Garet didn’t think it would happen to him, either.
Teach your kids. Teach them about fentanyl. Show them how to recognize fake pills. Tell them about Narcan. Do it earlier than you think you need to—because the world has changed, and fentanyl doesn’t give second chances.
💜 If I Can Save One Life, I Have to Speak Out
I can’t change what happened to Garet. I can’t go back and have the conversations I didn’t know I needed to have. I can’t undo the moments that led us here.
But I can speak out. I can tell his story. And if sharing this helps one parent talk to their child, helps one teenager think twice, helps one person survive—then I have to keep talking. I will scream from the rooftops if it will start saving our chldren!
Fentanyl is stealing lives, and it doesn’t care who you are. It doesn’t care if you’re a straight-A student, a hard worker, someone with dreams, someone with a future. It only takes one mistake. One pill. One moment of trusting the wrong person.
If you’re a parent, talk to your kids now. If you’re a teen or young adult, please understand the risk. No pill is safe unless it comes directly from a pharmacy. No drug is worth your life!
Fentanyl took my son, but it won’t take my voice. If this message reaches even one person in time, then Garet’s story will save a life.
Did you know how dangerous fentanyl was before reading this? What’s one thing you’ve learned? Let’s spread awareness together.
Love and Light ~Mandy💜
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