The Southeast Florida Recovery Advocates (SEFRA) nonprofit said it’s seen a rise in overdose cases in Martin County.
Parents in Martin County like Joe Perez Deprado said his 27-year-old son has been battling addiction for six years.
“He’s overdosed five times and every time I’ve been there to help him out,” Deprado said. “‘It doesn’t get easier. It’s something that stays with you as a parent.”
Each time he was able to save him with Narcan, an overdose reversal medication.
“My life mission is to see him outlive me,” Deprado said.
WPTVFor people like Ellen Isaacs, her son Ryan became addicted to Oxycontin after a prescription for a back injury when he was 17 years old.
“He meant the world to me. He was my first child,” Isaacs said. “The whole family was shattered.”
She said he lost his battle after 16 years, overdosing on fentanyl when he was 33 years old.
“He would be disappointed that we are still where we are and it’s not gotten any better, but at the same time, he’d be saying, ‘Go get them mom, you can do this,'” Isaacs said.