LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Fentanyl was the No. 1 cause of overdose deaths in Kentucky last year but there's a medicine that can reverse those effects.
"Morgan was a beautiful red headed girl, she was full of life," Laura Thurman said.
"I'll have people write me from high school saying 'I was the new girl and Morgan invited me to sit at the lunch table,'" Thurman said.
When Morgan Lewis was 23 years old, she experimented with cocaine at a friends house. Morgan didn't know the cocaine was laced with fentanyl.
Laura Thurman is raising awareness for how Narcan can save those overdosing on fentanyl after her daughter, Morgan, died from fentanyl. (WDRB photo)
"My husband got the phone call, we were very shocked," Thurman said.
By the time EMS arrived it was too late for Narcan to save her. If the life-saving nasal spray was in the house, Morgan would probably still be alive.
"I would do anything to save my child," Thurman said.
February will mark two years since Morgan died. In 2022, fentanyl was the No. 1 cause of overdose deaths in Kentucky, found in more than 72%.
"what an opioid does it compromises the lungs," Shreeta Waldon, executive director of The Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, said.
Waldon said Narcan can give someone the ability to breath again
"if this is the opioid receptor, when the Narcan comes in it kicks it off and it sits right there," Waldon said.
To recognize an overdose look for blue or grayish lips and fingernails, clammy or sweaty skin and watch their breathing.
If you suspect someone is overdosing, call 911, start CPR and administer Narcan.
Laura Thurman is raising awareness for how Narcan can save those overdosing on fentanyl after her daughter, Morgan, died from fentanyl. (WDRB photo)
"its important you have in the nasal passage so you get the medication up there," Waldon said.
Morgan's mom now shares stories of people who were able to be saved by Narcan through her nonprofit "Morgan's Mission."
She's calling it the "Narcan project."
"Spread awareness and education so other parents don't have to go through what we are going through," Thurman said.
You can get Narcan for free at The Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, you can also buy it over the counter at most pharmacies. It could save a life like Morgan's.
For more information about Naloxone click here.
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