Kitchener mom who lost her son to fentanyl on a mission to tell his story
Zion Farrell-Williams,14, died in May 2017 after taking Xanax that was cut with fentanyl
Jaimie Farrell said she cries every time she speaks about her son Zion, who died in May 2017 after taking Xanax cut with fentanyl — but that hasn't stopped her from sharing his story every opportunity she gets.
Zion was 14-years-old when he died. He came home late from school after spending time with his friends, and in the morning he didn't wake up.
"Every time I tell this story im reliving it ... (I'm) seeing it in my head over and over again," Jaimie told CBC's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris.
"I don't think there is ever going to be a time I tell this story and don't cry."
She described her son as hard-working, athletic and very loving.
"If you looked at his face and saw his smile, it told you exactly how he was," she said about her son in an emotional interview Tuesday morning.
'Its my whole mission'
And although it is a difficult subject, Jaimie said she will never say no to anyone who asks her to share Zion's story.
"That's my whole cause right now, it's my whole mission to get his story out," she said. "If I can tell my sons story, and it reaches one person — great."
On Monday night, she took an opportunity to speak at an event about the opioid crisis hosted at the Emmanuel United Church, where panelists spoke about opioids, overdose prevention sites and safe injection sites.
And while safe injection sites have been touted for being a much needed response to the growing crisis, a site would not have helped Zion, who Jaimie said was not a regular drug user.
"At first I didn't know anything about the story about what he was doing the last day he was here. Finally one of the boys he was with came forward and talked with me," she said about her son taking Xanax.
"He was just trying it, he just wanted to try it ... We talked to Zion about drugs all the time, but he was experimenting one time, and that's all it took."
She said her next step is to get into schools and talk to students and spread awareness.
'You don't have to be a drug addict'
Her message for students: it only takes trying something.
"You don't have to be a drug addict. You don't have to be somebody who takes drugs on a regular basis for you to have an overdose," she said.
"You can be trying something one time, something that was given to you by a friend or even a family member. But because what is going on with fentanyl and it being in stuff you just can't take the chance.
"It's here in our city, it's in drugs that you might think are safe but they're not."