Forever 15, A Young Life Stolen By Fentanyl

 When parents find out their child is facing a serious challenge, most will do whatever it takes to help. That was certainly true for Janel Rodriguez after she learned her teenage son was battling a marijuana addiction. But despite her efforts, Janel's world was shattered in a way she never saw coming.

Just weeks into his sophomore year, her son Noah bought what he believed was a Percocet. It turned out to be fentanyl—and it cost him his life.

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Janel shares her powerful message for other parents, what she wishes she had known sooner, and how she’s channeling unimaginable grief into action to help save lives.

If you liked this episode, make sure to listen to these episodes next:

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The Emily’s Hope Substance Use Prevention Curriculum has been carefully designed to address growing concerns surrounding substance use and overdose in our communities. Our curriculum focuses on age-appropriate and evidence-based content that educates children about the risks of substance use while empowering them to make healthy choices. 

Transcript

Angela Kennecke: 0:07

Welcome to Grieving Out Loud. I'm your host, Angela Kennecke. When parents find out their child's facing a serious challenge, most will do whatever it takes to try to help. That was certainly true for Janel Rodriguez after she learned her teenage son was battling a marijuana addiction.

Janel Rodriguez: 0:26

For three days a week for six months, Brandon and I would drive Noah into Austin, Austin, Texas. And if you know anything about where we're at, like we would avoid driving into Austin at all costs. But we did it because we were set on helping our son,

Angela Kennecke: 0:45

But despite all of her efforts, her son's life took a heartbreaking turn. She never imagined. When he was just a sophomore in high school.

Janel Rodriguez: 0:54

I recognized the phone number calling me as being Noah's friend's number. I did expect to hear Noah on the other end of the line, you know, asking for food or Slurpee or whatever, right? Because he would do that frequently. But the first thing I heard was, you know, that scream in the background, that scream you'd hear in a horror film.

Angela Kennecke: 1:20

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud Hear Janel's heartfelt message to other parents, what she wishes she would've known sooner, and how she's turning her pain into purpose to help prevent future tragedies. Hi, Janel. It is just a pleasure to see you again. Welcome to Grieving Out Loud.

Janel Rodriguez: 1:50

Hello, how are you? Thank you for having me today.

Angela Kennecke: 1:54

Oh, you're so welcome. I always say this, I say it over and over again. You know, I'm, I'm so sorry that we have met under these tragic circumstances of losing our children, but really grateful to know you and I'm grateful for the work that you're doing.

Janel Rodriguez: 2:07

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Angela Kennecke: 2:09

To give people a little bit of a background, Janel, you and I just met in person for the first time a few months ago when we were in Dallas together as part of a round table of parents who have all lost kids in this way, and we were talking about a number of issues for a TV special that's out on all Nexstar stations across the country.

Janel Rodriguez: 2:30

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 2:31

And this is actually the second special that they've put out. We were both featured in the first one, or the stories of our children were featured. And, and I just wanna jump right into that and your family's story and the story of Noah and so young. I mean, I just, I'm so heartbroken for you and for your family and for Noah's siblings, but can you tell me a little bit about Noah and what kind of kid he was and what he was into? I.

Janel Rodriguez: 2:56

Yeah, I mean, Noah was your typical teenager. Video games, basketball, football shoes. He's just a, a fun kid, you know? Great, smart, popular,

Angela Kennecke: 3:09

Noah grew up surrounded by family in Buddha, Texas. He was an honor roll student, a football player since he was four, and according to his mom, an easygoing, happy kid.

Janel Rodriguez: 3:20

Brandon and I never really had any issues with Noah. Very obedient, mild mannered mean, we would have. Things here and there, but for the most part, no.

Angela Kennecke: 3:32

So I think what's interesting about that is that it doesn't really matter the temperament of the child, right? All kids can start kind of experimenting with substances and, and that age, I think 14 to 16 is real common for kids to do this. And it doesn't necessarily mean they're acting out or rebellious, but you knew that Noah was doing a little bit of experimenting, right?

Janel Rodriguez: 3:55

Yes, we did know, I guess it started around Covid. You know, he was in eighth grade when that happened. Nobody was able to hang out with, you know, your friends or family, whatever. So. He started hanging around at our neighborhood park where he started meeting a new group and it, it worried us a little, you know, I mean, we didn't wanna automatically be judgmental towards these kids, but they were just a different group, a different look, a different style than what we were used to. Noah would come home smelling like pot, we would question him. And he would, always have something to say about why he smelled that way. Whether it was, there was a group at the park smoking and it probably just lingered onto him while he was playing basketball. And I know that sounds silly, but because we didn't have any issues with him, we just believed it.

Angela Kennecke: 4:49

Sure you wanted to believe it. Of course, you don't wanna believe that your kid is going down that route. And I think what's so interesting is that for so many of our kids and, and. We just recently had a episode out about how dangerous just cannabis and THC is for the adolescent brain, but so many kids start with that, right?

Janel Rodriguez: 5:08

absolutely.

Angela Kennecke: 5:10

it's so common. And so socially acceptable, really. Although it shouldn't be for children. This is, this is when I have some of the pro cannabis adults I know, us, you know? And I'm like, Hey, you do what you wanna do in the states where it's legal and you're an adult, but it is not for the developing brain. And

Janel Rodriguez: 5:27

right?

Angela Kennecke: 5:27

just get on my high horse about that because it's the truth. It's medically true.

Janel Rodriguez: 5:31

Yeah, for sure.

Angela Kennecke: 5:33

Although Noah was generally well behaved and respectful toward his parents, Janel says he began getting into some trouble and she did everything she thought was right to help him.

Janel Rodriguez: 5:44

Noah spent some time on probation for a non-drug related charge. Him and some friends took my truck out for a joy ride one summer. And I pressed charges, you know, because I was, I'm just that kind of parent. So he did have to do probation, But as far as being disrespectful, defiant, he was not, you know, he was your typical teenager. You know, we all snuck out of the house at one time or another.

Angela Kennecke: 6:08

Janel, I did that tough love stuff too with Emily when some of that stuff started, you know, with sneaking out and I, got law enforcement involved. I thought, well, maybe Yeah. her. I. Right. and there were hard things to do. Wasn't that

Janel Rodriguez: 6:18

It was,

Angela Kennecke: 6:19

to

Janel Rodriguez: 6:19

it was, yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 6:19

you just think you gotta do this hard thing to protect your kid. If, if I do this hard thing, they won't do this again.

Janel Rodriguez: 6:25

Yeah, for sure. it was extremely hard when the officer who called the officer that pulled him over and I said, I wanna press charges on all the boys. He said, you wanna press charges on your son and. I was like, yeah. You know, I mean, as hard as it is, like, yes, like this is a lesson that needs to be learned. Like I'm not gonna put up with it. I'm not gonna bail you out. like consequences. Like we've always taught Noah that to every decision, every choice he made, there was consequences.

Angela Kennecke: 6:59

Right. Because parenting with Love and Logic, that was my Bible when my

Janel Rodriguez: 7:02

Mm-hmm.

Angela Kennecke: 7:03

I mean, I was like, okay, hopefully there's natural consequences, you know? And I just thought that, they would learn from

Janel Rodriguez: 7:09

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 7:09

And uh, Emily had three other siblings at home, and so you can't just allow the oldest one. To just do whatever. And then what kind of example are they setting for the other kids?

Janel Rodriguez: 7:20

Exactly.

Angela Kennecke: 7:21

Janel eventually found out that her son was using marijuana. She did everything she could to stop it, but it wasn't easy. I.

Janel Rodriguez: 7:30

It was a constant fight, you know? And he would say, you know, well, so and so's parent lets them do this and that. And I'm like, well, I'm not that parent. I'm not gonna let my 14, 15-year-old smoke pot

Angela Kennecke: 7:44

because

Janel Rodriguez: 7:44

it's bad for their

Angela Kennecke: 7:44

brains. yeah. know, it only is gonna lead to problems for 'em, you know, at this young age. And like with Emily, one of her friends told me that she was smoking weed with her boyfriend and his mother, like his mother was condoning it. And this was at about age

Janel Rodriguez: 7:58

Oh wow.

Angela Kennecke: 7:58

I was just blown away. I mean, this, came from her friend, you know, who felt that she had to tell me

Janel Rodriguez: 8:03

Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 8:05

Janel knew how harmful marijuana is to the developing brain. So when Noah got put on probation for taking her truck on a joy ride, she brought up something else. She asked the judge and probation officer if Noah could also get into outpatient rehab. They agreed it sounded like a good idea.

Janel Rodriguez: 8:23

So for three days a week for six months, Brandon and I would drive Noah into Austin, Austin, Texas. And if you know anything about where we're at, like we would avoid driving into Austin at all costs. But we did it because we were set on helping our son, right? So three days a week for six months. We were taking him to outpatient treatment. As part of that, they would randomly drug test every week. So he didn't know which day he was gonna get tested. And he would come out negative for six months at random. Right? So he finished his probation in April of 22. Brandon and I encourage him to stay in rehab because there's no harm. Um, It could only benefit him, but again, no was like, no mom. Like I'm doing great. I haven't smoked in six months. I can do this. I don't need it. And we believed him.

Angela Kennecke: 9:26

you know, this is the thing I think is so troubling for parents, it's troubling for me. Like I did everything under the sun. You did everything under the sun to try to help your kid, to try to set your kid on the right course, and it doesn't matter because of fentanyl being out there. I mean, this is the thing, like you could try to take all these steps, but if they make one wrong move or if, if they struggle with a substance as my daughter did and fall back into it or whatever, then they can die. all that, everything that you're doing, like it just feels like this is what frustrates me as a parent looking back, is like all those efforts, all those sleepless nights, all the steps I took, all the, everything involved as you did with

Janel Rodriguez: 10:06

I know.

Angela Kennecke: 10:07

It feels like it was wasted.

Janel Rodriguez: 10:09

yeah, yeah. But I would do it all over again, you know?

Angela Kennecke: 10:13

Yeah. Well, I would do everything over again to have 21

Janel Rodriguez: 10:16

yes,

Angela Kennecke: 10:16

And I know you feel that way about

Janel Rodriguez: 10:18

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Angela Kennecke: 10:53

Janel felt hopeful, like maybe Noah had finally turned a corner, but just a few weeks after he finished rehab and completed probation. She got a phone call that shattered everything.

Janel Rodriguez: 11:06

It was Mother's Day of 22. Brandon and I were with our two little girls at a splash pad and we get a phone call. Well. I had reached down from my phone and I noticed I had 10 missed calls. And as I'm looking through the numbers the call comes in again. So I answered it and it was our local police department, Kyle Police Department, and they said, is this Janel Rodriguez, Noah's mom? And I'm like, yes. And they're like, your son is non-responsive at, you know, this address. We need you here now. you know, of course I'm like freaking out, right? I'm like, what happened? What happened? He's like, ma'am, we don't know. We don't know how long he's been without oxygen. Just get here immediately. So our little girls are soaked. Brandon loads them up, they're drenched in their swimsuits. Long story short, they tell us to go to the hospital to meet them there. We ended up at Dell Children's in Austin where Noah was on life support in ICU for four days. Oh my gosh. So it turns out that while he was at his friend's house, there was a group of boys there and they all decided to try cocaine. And so in Noah's system he had cocaine, pot, and benzos. all the other kids were fine. They were not affected at all. They all were released from the hospital that night, but like I said, Noah was on life support in ICU for four days. We do remember hearing the doctor say when he was reading us a tox screen. I'm surprised it's not fentanyl, and at that time. he didn't say it like to alarm us. He didn't tell us what it was, nothing. So we were just like, okay, you know, well, it's cocaine, pot, and benzos. when Noah wakes up on the fourth day, the first thing he tells me is, mom, I tried Coke last night. And I said, no, baby, you tried Coke four days ago. he realizes where he's at. He starts crying and you know, starts getting upset and I just tell him to calm down. Right? Um, So we come home a week and a half later. I was kind of upset that they released him because his lungs, he had aspirated so much vomit. His lungs were in horrible shape. Like before we left, the doctor said, don't even let him go on walks. We don't want him to, like get his heart rate up.

Angela Kennecke: 13:36

the gravity of all this, right? He understood that he almost died.

Janel Rodriguez: 13:40

Yes. So he sat us down. When we got home, he sat Brandon and I down and he said, you know, I'm sorry, I'll never do this again. That was my first time trying anything other than weed. He said, I don't wanna die. And I said, baby, you died like you were dead. I said, God has given you a second chance at life, like, use it. And he said, I am mom. I'm gonna get back on the team. I'm gonna get my grades back up. Like, he had all these plans, right? Like we thought it scared him enough. Because the summer of 22, like we had our son back, you know, he, he was home. He was engaged with the family, his siblings, like it was a great summer,

Angela Kennecke: 14:30

So you thought, as I'm sure any parent would've thought like, this is the end of it. Like this horrible thing that happened, this. Life threatening thing that, you know, he obviously had a few moments where he was dead and he could have remained that way and he could die again. that, that had really made him realize and now everything was gonna be

Janel Rodriguez: 14:49

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 14:50

Right. Did you breathe a sigh of relief in a way?

Janel Rodriguez: 14:52

We did. I did actually. I do remember him calling me into his room in July and he was really, really sad. And I said, what's going on, baby? And he's like, mom, this kid I met in summer school, he, he just died from a drug overdose. I was like, know what? I was like, baby, you've gotta stay, you've gotta stay clean. You, you see like, you just don't know. Like you were lucky, you know? It turns out that was our first fentanyl death here in the summer of 22 in Hayes County. And then, just weeks later, I. You know what happened to us?

Angela Kennecke: 15:33

It's so hard to understand after going through that, after hearing that his friend had died, why he would use any substance again.

Janel Rodriguez: 15:45

Yeah. I don't know. I mean, a lot of the kids around here were, you know, pointing fingers. So and so was getting him introduced to this, you know, this and that. But, you know, at the end of the day. I can't blame anybody but Noah, you know?

Angela Kennecke: 16:02

He made a decision

Janel Rodriguez: 16:03

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 16:04

his brain had already been wired for use

Janel Rodriguez: 16:08

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 16:09

of the early use of

Janel Rodriguez: 16:11

Right? Mm-hmm.

Angela Kennecke: 16:12

So sometimes, you know, those cravings, that desire for that high takes over the brain. We know that, but it's just so hard to really wrap your brain around it. What happened next is really tough to wrap your brain around. Despite knowing the danger of fentanyl and seemingly wanting to go down the right path, Noah decided to try to buy a pill, one pill that would change everything for him and his family.

Janel Rodriguez: 16:39

Noah purchased some Percocet from one of his friends. it, obviously was not Percocet, it was Fentanyl.

Angela Kennecke: 16:48

My guess is he probably thought he was buying a legitimate prescription pill and probably thought that would be safer than anything else to do. Maybe.

Janel Rodriguez: 16:55

think so too. I get that question asked a lot when I speak to students, you know, they ask had he tried it before, and I'm, I'm very open and honest with them, the detective on our case didn't find any proof that this was his first time or his hundredth time. You know, but I'm not naive. I know what we were dealing with. I know what could happen and I think that Noah tried a true Percocet and it's true prescription form from, I don't know who, and I think that when it was brought to him that Saturday morning, like, Hey, I have some perks. That's what he was thinking about. the feeling he had when he first tried it it wasn't.

Angela Kennecke: 17:38

In August of 2022, Noah was a couple of days into his sophomore year of high school. As he left school that Friday, he told his friends, see you Monday, but Monday never came for Noah.

Janel Rodriguez: 17:52

We had actually spent all Saturday together 'cause we were at a family barbecue. Thinking about it now, I'm like, he had this pill with him the whole time at the barbecue. The whole time at any point he could have chosen to take it when he went to the restroom, any point, right. But he had it in his pocket or he had it in his backpack the whole time. We knew that we were gonna drop him off at a friend's house later that evening. midnight comes and. You know, I recognized the phone number calling me as being Noah's friend's number. I did expect to hear Noah on the other end of the line, you know, asking for food or Slurpee or whatever, right? Because he would do that frequently. But the first thing I heard was, you know, that scream in the background, that scream you'd hear in a horror film. You know, I. And the parent on the other end of the line saying like, in a panic, I think Noah overdosed. And so right away, obviously I start panicking. I start going crazy. I start yelling, I start screaming.

Angela Kennecke: 19:03

Yeah, and then you had to go over there and the worst had happened and that parent had performed CPR on Noah,

Janel Rodriguez: 19:09

Yeah, so while I was on the phone with her she had been doing CPR for 20 minutes. She was tired and I started begging her like, don't stop, don't stop. she said she wouldn't stop until EMS arrived. By the time we got there. I was able to text all of my family and they were able to make it to the scene in just a matter of minutes because they all knew where this friend lived. when I got to the scene, you know, I'm ready to run inside to go be with, with Noah, but my mom approaches me she stops about three to five feet in front of me. She just stands there staring at me. She puts her head down and shakes her head, I knew that he was gone.

Angela Kennecke: 19:57

Right, and I know that day my story is a little different. Not much, but a little and. the trauma of that day playing over and over again in your mind. For me, I'm a little further ahead on this grief journey than you are, but I know for the first, literally four to five years, it was almost every day that day popped into my head.

Janel Rodriguez: 20:22

Yeah. And. It does, it does. But you know, we now speak to thousands of students each week and in my part of the presentation I relive that night too. over and over. Like I give from the moment we dropped him off the whole thing. So.

Angela Kennecke: 20:46

Right. I do the same thing, Janel so I have a question for you because I, after I give these talks to students, and I relive that day, and the only reason why I do it, and I relive it, you know, with all the drama that there was in that

Janel Rodriguez: 20:59

Mm-hmm.

Angela Kennecke: 21:00

because I have to get the point across to students. horrible this is for a parent to have their kid die like this and to be in this moment, because I think that sticks with them. But I'm very aware that it retraumatizes me. I'm mentally exhausted after every time I talk to students. And how do you kind of cope? I say I can do it because I was a journalist for years and I say every journalist has PTSD. We've seen horrible

Janel Rodriguez: 21:30

Mm-hmm.

Angela Kennecke: 21:32

and you have to go talk about it, right? And I say I can do it because of those decades of training, how can you do it?

Janel Rodriguez: 21:39

the beginning, it really wasn't easy. But, you know, I, I still have three young, three young kids, that I have to be present for, so is it healthy? Probably not. But

Angela Kennecke: 21:55

Yeah.

Janel Rodriguez: 21:55

I chose from day one not to let them see me. I mean, they see me cry here and there. I. But I chose not to live in despair because I don't want them thinking that we lost our brother. This is how mommy's acting. This is how we have to act. want them to deal with their grief, their own way. And not because I'm sad all the time, or, you know what I mean?

Angela Kennecke: 22:23

Do, I do. I think we do have a choice in how we respond to this happening in our lives, and I think for many people it feels like they don't have a choice and they fall into that pit of despair. I always say there's two kinds of people in the world, bouncers and splatters, and we all get pushed down into that pit of despair,

Janel Rodriguez: 22:41

Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 22:41

of us just splatter at the bottom of

Janel Rodriguez: 22:43

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 22:44

for whatever reason. not able to make that choice to bounce back

Janel Rodriguez: 22:49

Right.

Angela Kennecke: 22:49

to not live in that pit of despair, which I made a conscious choice 'cause of my other kids, 'cause my husband as well. And I feel like we're very much the same way

Janel Rodriguez: 22:59

Yeah, Brandon and I, he was pretty, you know, on board too. I was like, you know, I refuse to do this to them, you know, they're already well. at the time we had a 4-year-old, one and a half year old, and a two week old. So obviously the one and a half year old and the two week old don't really

Angela Kennecke: 23:17

Well,

Janel Rodriguez: 23:17

understand.

Angela Kennecke: 23:18

there's no doubt that your trauma is passed on to your babies. You know,

Janel Rodriguez: 23:21

Yes,

Angela Kennecke: 23:21

so much about that now. Even your stress, while your babies are in the womb are

Janel Rodriguez: 23:26

yes.

Angela Kennecke: 23:26

passed You know, so you're two week old. I mean, oh my God, did I go through this kind of trauma?

Janel Rodriguez: 23:31

Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 23:31

you have a baby like that, I, I feel bad for you and for the child.

Janel Rodriguez: 23:36

Not just that, like I was just diagnosed with having postpartum anxiety. So when we got that phone call that night, Brandon thought I was just having an anxiety attack. Because I was just yelling, yelling, you know, 'cause I have never dealt with anxiety in my life. And I, every day I felt like I was gonna die. I was constantly crying. I was just so he thought I was having an anxiety attack.

Angela Kennecke: 23:57

So this compounded with that is, tough. That's really tough, but you are a survivor. I can tell

Janel Rodriguez: 24:02

yes.

Angela Kennecke: 24:03

about the parent performed CPR, whose house it happened at? how are they doing it? I mean, that would be very difficult as well. I mean, I

Janel Rodriguez: 24:12

Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 24:12

this is your child, but

Janel Rodriguez: 24:13

Mm-hmm.

Angela Kennecke: 24:14

be in that situation.

Janel Rodriguez: 24:16

I think she's, she's doing well. I wasn't ready to meet with them right away. I wanted to be able to just process. The funeral and all the things. Right. But when we finally did meet, she assured me, she said, Janel, I work at a children's home overnight. I know how to do CPR. I was doing it. I gave my all, I gave my best. You know, and I believed her

Angela Kennecke: 24:45

As Janel, her family and friends grappled with their overwhelming grief, law enforcement began working to uncover who was behind the pill that took Noah's life.

Janel Rodriguez: 24:58

So right away um, Noah's friend. I. He was picked up about a week after Noah's funeral because other kids in our neighborhood, three young men were poisoned. A week later,

Angela Kennecke: 25:11

Do they all die?

Janel Rodriguez: 25:12

didn't die. They were able to be revived. But one of the young men, his mom's a nurse, so she heard him struggling and the gurgling sound, she heard him in the room. She was able to run to him and, at that time, you know, parents knew that their kids were, experimenting, I guess. So she ran to him really quick. She was able to revive him and, you know, all the things. But he spoke up, I like to say he was very brave in speaking up and saying, this is where I got it, you know? And. They were able to trace him to Noah's and also the person he got from. So the dealer that he was selling for. So they're both in federal prison?

Angela Kennecke: 25:57

Oh, they both faced federal charges

Janel Rodriguez: 25:59

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 26:00

convicted or got, did they plead guilty?

Janel Rodriguez: 26:02

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 26:04

You didn't have to go through a

Janel Rodriguez: 26:04

I did not.

Angela Kennecke: 26:05

Yeah, well, you know, that's good. And, the people involved in Emily's case were held accountable too. And I, I talked to so many parents where that doesn't happen.

Janel Rodriguez: 26:12

Know.

Angela Kennecke: 26:13

at least there's some justice there. And hopefully this, I feel like you stop one dealer, then another one pops up. And

Janel Rodriguez: 26:20

Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 26:20

talk about this all the time. Are you ready to protect the next generation from the dangers of substance use? Emily's Hope has created a comprehensive K through 12 substance use prevention curriculum designed to educate, empower, and equip students with the tools they need to make healthy choices are age appropriate lessons, starting kindergarten and build through high school using science, real stories and interactive learning to help kids understand their bodies, brains, and risk of drug use. We're already reaching thousands of students across multiple states, and we're just getting started. Visit emily's hope edu.org to learn more and share our curriculum with your school administrators and counselors. At Emily's Hope, we believe prevention begins with education. Let's work together to keep our kids safe. Janel is doing her part to try to prevent future fentanyl deaths. She launched an organization named Forever 15 Project in memory of Noah. And now travels throughout her community, speaking to students and families about the deadly risks of fentanyl and signs that someone may be at risk,, we just wanted to warn the parents and students in our community. But it just organically grew and I. I can't pinpoint how many lives have been touched and saved by Noah's story. You know, but we have helped quite a few students into rehab and mental health facilities. You know, the ones I work with directly, I can say this is X amount, but the ones that we never know about or the ones that just send an email saying, you know, I stopped vaping because of this. I do know it's making a difference. Yes. Yeah. That's how I feel about sharing Emily's story as well. Like I know it's had an impact. I can't say how many kids, and you don't know how many won't make a choice. Especially I start talking to kids. Well, we have education curriculum that goes down to kindergarten, but I start my presentation that I do, I start at sixth or seventh grade and you don't know how many kids then make a different choice because they heard Right. stories. Yeah,

Janel Rodriguez: 28:38

Yeah. But we've also been to schools where right after we're done presenting for the day, you know, a kid goes to the restroom and overdoses, it's just,

Angela Kennecke: 28:47

frustrating.

Janel Rodriguez: 28:48

frustrating. Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 28:51

So when we were together in Texas and we were at this round table, I call it blood group of parents all talking, and we were going over all these issues and talking about solutions, and you know, we've both been featured in a few different, programs that are national, and I've been doing this for a lot of years. you think that these things are making a difference?

Janel Rodriguez: 29:12

I do think speaking out, being in front of the camera, getting it out there, I do think that's absolutely making a difference. But, you know, I've said it before, my job, my heart is actively working with families and students I would do a round table, yes, I will go speak at the Capitol. Yes, I will go to \ Washington, DC but my heart is, you know, boots on ground. Like I get a call at three or four in the morning. I'm going to that family, and that's where you're gonna see the most change if you're just out there because you know you wanna be on film, this and that, you know? What are you really doing to help the problem, help the families, help the addict, you know

Angela Kennecke: 30:05

You're doing the real work is what you're saying. I mean, I think all those things because I have all these years of being in front of the camera, it's, it's fine for me to do that.

Janel Rodriguez: 30:12

right?

Angela Kennecke: 30:13

have no problem

Janel Rodriguez: 30:13

Mm-hmm.

Angela Kennecke: 30:14

easy. I'm used to, I, live in front of the camera right for three decades. So I, can speak and I always feel like I'm speaking for all parents when I do it

Janel Rodriguez: 30:22

Mm-hmm.

Angela Kennecke: 30:23

Because not everyone gets that chance. I would much rather never, ever have to do that. you know, ever. But yeah, you have to, what you're telling me is you have to be doing the real work too. not just the awareness piece and maybe real's the wrong word. You have to be doing the other piece too. You can do the awareness, but you also have to be doing the prevention piece and,

Janel Rodriguez: 30:43

Great.

Angela Kennecke: 30:44

actually being there for people. You know, we have a support group for parents who've lost.

Janel Rodriguez: 30:48

Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 30:48

A loved one in this way. I mean, that is so important and all of the different things and, we all working in our little corners of the world and working together. I think that's the other thing that's so important. That is what I liked about this latest nexstar special, is that it really brought parents together and it showed all these stories of all these parents and, we can't do it on our own.

Janel Rodriguez: 31:08

Right. and you know, we're not gonna save everyone. As a matter of fact, you know, I had a young man back in October who was active in our project, right. We're actively helping him, and we would take him on trips, to go to awareness rallies or. Just, he was an active part of the project and he passed away from Fentanyl and I took it like, how could I not take it personal? Right. I took it so personal, like so hard, like, what did I miss? What am I not doing? But people don't understand, like, it's not just something you turn off and on, like addiction is hard, you know? And even though he was doing all the steps, he just. Fell that night

Angela Kennecke: 31:58

Right. It is just one choice, one time, one, relapse. it doesn't matter. And you're right, I had those, not the same exact thing, but those kinds of things happen where someone relapses or somebody dies and then you're like, oh, all this work

Janel Rodriguez: 32:11

yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 32:11

and people are still dying. they shouldn't be. And they shouldn't be. So I think also when people try to simplify this problem, it's such a multifaceted. Problem. We've got the problem with the fentanyl flowing into this country. We've got the problem with demand and with substance use disorder and mental health. And so it's just so complicated because people are complicated,

Janel Rodriguez: 32:32

Yes.

Angela Kennecke: 32:32

And

Janel Rodriguez: 32:33

Yeah.

Angela Kennecke: 32:34

a tough, tough thing. Well thank you for all the work you're doing in Noah's name, and I'm sure we will run into each other again because as people continue to die, even though the number nationwide are going

Janel Rodriguez: 32:47

yes.

Angela Kennecke: 32:48

which is great, we wanna see that number at zero.

Janel Rodriguez: 32:51

that's right.

Angela Kennecke: 32:53

you could join the effort to save lives. Head over to our website, Emily's Hope Charity to find out how you can get involved. You'll also find resources for those facing substance use disorder and support for their families. And be sure to join us next week on Grieving Out Loud when we talk with the leaders of a powerful nationwide nonprofit bringing attention to the Fentanyl crisis through art. The into Light Project features graphite portraits, honoring people who have died from fentanyl poisoning and drug overdoses.

Barbara Francois: 33:25

they can walk in and look at a portrait. And a mother in Marilyn did this and said, this is the first time

Theresa Clower: 33:31

at

Barbara Francois: 33:32

I can hold my head high. I.

Theresa Clower: 33:33

at high.

Barbara Francois: 33:34

It just makes them feel like, you know, not only is their loved one being honored, but their life meant something.

Angela Kennecke: 33:43

That's next week on Grieving Out Loud. Thanks again for listening and learning more about this vital topic. Until next time, wishing you faith, hope, and courage. This podcast is produced by Casey Wonnenberg King and Marley Miller.