POWELL, Ohio — Dozens of families came together Thursday in Powell to share stories about the impact of a silent killer.
The Drug Enforcement Administration held the second annual Family Summit on fentanyl. It is an opportunity for families to share ideas on how to stop the flow of fentanyl into the country.
“My daughter, Angie, will forever be 27,” said mom, Marla Ayres.
Ayres is just one of the parents here who'd rather not be a part of this group. In 2018, she lost her daughter Angie to a drug poisoning.
“She thought it was a Xanax. There was enough fentanyl to kill 12, 13 people in one pill,” she explained.
Michelle Spah, an assistant special agent in charge at the DEA, said the issue is not getting any better.
“We are losing our loved ones more and more every single day," Spahn said. "We need to all come together and there is a sense of urgency because we are losing over 500 Americans every single day. That is not acceptable."
Spahn too knows what it is like to have a family member struggle with addiction.
“I have a twin brother who had addiction nearly half of our adult lives and he just got out of jail two months ago. He is struggling and I know what that has done to my parents and I know to me, as a sibling and as his twin sister, how this impacted our family,” Spahn said.
Which is why she is so passionate about helping families cope, and prevent more families from this struggle. She says the summit is a great way for families to lean on each other and for DEA agents to learn.
“We can't do this alone. We can't arrest our way out of this problem as law enforcement professionals. It's important that we bring everyone together because we can't be the solution on our own,” Spahn said.
Ayres has put her grief to work by creating nonprofits and starting programs to help those struggling with addiction. As a retired firefighter and EMT says even though she lost her daughter, she considers herself lucky.
“Our last words were I love you. Very last words. Because of my career, the last thing you say when you walk out that door, because you don't know when you are coming back, was I love you,” Ayres said.
The DEA says seven out of every 10 pills they seize and test have potentially lethal levels of fentanyl.