TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In 2020, there were more drug overdose-related deaths than in 2019. County data shows 446 people lost their lives to an overdose and 207 were fentanyl-related.
Behind every number is a family grieving the loss of their loved one. Over the last year, Theresa Guerrero has been on a mission to make sure no parent goes through what she went through last May when she lost her son, Jacob.
“He loved people and he had pretty much an old soul,” said Guerrero.
Jacob died after taking a drug he didn't know was laced with fentanyl.
“It's excruciating pain. He was my only son. Whenever I hear of another death each day it's just, it's so painful that I understand what each parent is going to have to go through when they find out that their child died from this drug. It's a senseless thing to die from---it really is,” she explained.
She explained just how dangerous the drug is.
“Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction. Fentanyl is killing kids by the thousands every day. Fentanyl is a hidden killer,” she said.
Jacob was an avid cyclist and loved tennis. So, her son’s passing was completely unexpected.
“People want to say, or they stereotype I should say, that you're a bad person because you use drugs. No, you're not a bad person. Good people use drugs. My son was not a bad person. He was a really good person that would help anybody out at any point in time,” she said.
Continuing her journey to educate the community, she and a group of others will be holding a rally on June 4 from 10 a.m - 12 p.m. to provide the community with the resources they need.
