FORT LAUDERDALE — Last year, 107,543 Americans died from overdoses , reported the Centers for Disease Control.
Of those deaths, more than 74,000 of those deaths were from synthetic opioids.
In the state of Florida alone, more than 7,500 people died from overdoses in 2022, according to the CDC.
While the number of overdose deaths in our country slightly declined from 2022 to 2023, it remains an epidemic in our country.
Navigating life with addicted children
Kim Bouchard-Whitaker and Janice Schneider have been friends since they were 12 years old, a friendship that’s spanned more than five decades.
They have many things in common — but the pivotal thing is the stories of their sons, Tommy and Max.
“The kindest, sweetest, nicest human being you would ever want to meet in your life, and that’s the way you can describe Tommy,” said Bouchard-Whitaker.
“Max was a big kid, he was always a big kid. He was, you know, 6’3, and he was very handsome. He, I think, always felt things very deeply,” said Schneider.