Lived Experience: Overdose
Overdoses are the leading injury-related cause of death in the United States.
Meet the people that are using their lived experience to inspire others and help save lives by spreading awareness about drug overdose prevention.
See how overdose affects real people
Justin's Story
Justin Cappiello was 25 years old when he was taken from us by an overdose of heroin, which was laced with fentanyl. He was the oldest of 3 children, loved his brother and sister and watched over them always! Justin was so full of life, love and laughter.
Betsy's Story
A well-told story is remembered more accurately, and far longer than learning derived from facts and figures. Unfortunately, I only have a handful of memories from the months I was completely lost on Fentanyl patches.
Cade's Story
I lost my beautiful son, Cade Reddington, at the age of 18. Cade died in his freshman dorm room at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee after taking what he thought was Percocet, but it turned out to be one fake pill that was 100% fentanyl.
James's Story
Fentanyl: it’s what starts my story, but it is also what stopped my brother’s life. James wasn’t just a sibling–he was my best friend. We grew up incredibly close, creating the most amazing memories that I now cherish so deeply.
Fentanyl can be deadly. But overdoses don’t have to be.
Learn how to administer naloxone
Learn how naloxone works, and how to use it to save a life.
Learn how to use fentanyl test strips
Monitor the presence of fentanyl in street drugs by using fentanyl test strips.
Our fentanyl plan
We are exploring new lines of research to reduce overdose deaths, learn more about our initiatives.
