Expand / Collapse search
☰

'Sarasota Fights Fentanyl' remembers those who have lost their lives, helps others battling addiction

By
Published  August 30, 2024 5:17pm EDT
Opioid Epidemic
FOX 13 News

‘Sarasota Fights Fentanyl’ remembers those who have lost their lives, helps others battling addiction

FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Fentanyl is highly addictive and has been a problem in the Tampa Bay area for years. This Sunday, those impacted by the deadly drug are coming together for the "Sarasota Fights Fentanyl" walk. 

It will be a day of remembrance for those who have lost their lives and to help those battling addictions. For those being remembered, they are sons, daughters, friends and loved ones that their families lost to fentanyl.

"They are the reason we are here," said Toni Lemieux, the director of Grace Recovery. "They are the reason we are doing this is to fight back and give them a voice. They didn’t ask for this. They didn’t deserve it."

READ: Drug overdoses surge in some states: 5 takeaways on numbers that 'are people's lives,' expert says

For Lemieux, who organized the first "Sarasota Fights Fentanyl" walk, this is a cause that's personal to her. 

"That’s very powerful to me. I know those people, and one of them happens to be my significant other who relapsed and died from a fentanyl overdose this past New Year’s Eve," she said.  

"It’s an addiction, and it’s a disease and that’s what we are fighting against," said Lemieux. 

The "Sarasota Fights Fentanyl" walk starts on Sunday, September 1, at J.D. Hamel Park in downtown Sarasota. Organizers originally expected around 100 people, but they’re now looking at close to 800 or more. 

MORE: US overdose deaths decline slightly in 2023, CDC reports

"We are going to carry the signs over the bridge of those that we’ve lost," said Lemieux. "We are handing out thousands of boxes of Narcan. We will flood the streets of Sarasota with Narcan. We will support the families that are left behind that just feel hopeless and helpless and give them their power back."

Booths will also be set up at 199 Bayfront Drive in Sarasota with resources for those battling addiction. Paul McKinney with Project Exodus Corp will be here to help.

"For me, I didn’t know there was a solution, I didn’t know there was assistance, I didn’t’ know there was programs that would get and help people stay clean. From fentanyl and other drugs and alcohol," said McKinney. "Just the knowledge and awareness that it’s available and that there are people who experienced these same traumas is vital."

Within the last 18 months, Ariana Testa lost four friends to fentanyl. 

"We are really taking a step right now in trying to bridge the communities together to make sure everyone knows there is a chance for them to fight for it, that there is a life worth living, even if they don’t see a way out," said Testa. 

READ: 'Deadliest drug threat that our country has ever faced:' Tampa's top federal prosecutor talks fentanyl crisis

The deadly drug is found laced in other items like marijuana and pills. 

"It doesn’t matter who it is, it still affects everybody who it is, whether it’s a mom, aunt, cousin. It affects everybody," said Testa. 

It impacts the whole community and for those organizing the event, it starts with a walk to never forget those that were lost to the deadly drug. 

"It’s time to take a stance and do something about it," said Testa. 

The community is invited to come out at noon, and the walk over the Ringling Bridge will start at 1 p.m. 

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: