What is fentanyl poisoning? These guests of the State of the Union lost their son to it

WASHINGTON — The death of her son Zach was the only red flag.

Laura and Chris Didier spoke to their children about the dangers of drugs and thought they would see warning signs if any of their three children started down a bad path.

Their youngest, 17-year-old Zach, didn’t have a drug problem, but he died of fentanyl poisoning on December 27, 2020. They don’t know why he bought Percocet through a Snapchat conversation, but the Didiers say investigators told them it was the first transaction that led to his death.

“Basically, every kid with a cell phone is at risk,” Chris Didier, a pilot and Air Force veteran, told USA TODAY.

Who was Zach Didier?

Zach was a high school grad, Eagle Scout, soccer player, and high school musical star with no history of substance abuse. His young life ended because he took a fake prescription pill that was full of fentanyl.

A toxicology report showed no traces of Percocet in the pill – only fentanyl – was purchased via a Snapchat message.

Zach was among nearly 94,000 Americans who died of a drug overdose in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of August 2022, the number had reached more than 108,000 in a one-year period, according to federal data. Fentanyl overdose is now the leading cause of death in adults between the ages of 18 and 45, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But Zach won’t be remembered as a statistic by his parents putting grief into action.

You remember the child playing “Christmastime is Here” on the piano while the dog seemed to be singing along. You remember the bright student who got accepted into UCLA, among other schools. You remember his kind heart.

They remember the closing lines of the letter he wrote to his future self in ninth grade, part of which is now tattooed on the inside of Laura’s right forearm: “Always remember our friends, family, dogs and ours potential in life. Good luck No matter what project you are working on. Don’t forget to smile. Have the best day of your life. “

State of the Union guests Laura and Chris Didier attempt to save lives

Zach has been gone for more than two years, but even in death he’s living out one of his dreams.

In 2020, when he couldn’t decide whether to study theater or psychology, he told his parents he just wanted to help people.

He still is.

He’s not here, but his parents say his story saves lives. “It’s incredible,” Laura Didier told USA TODAY. “Because I know that’s what Zach would want, just knowing that his story touches other people.”

Through dozens of gatherings, his parents have reached more than 40,000 young people with warnings that “a pill can kill.”

On Tuesday night, they will be guests of Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.

Laura Didier will be in the gallery of the house wearing a silver locket with two photos of Zach inside that rests close to her heart. Chris Didier has a “Victims of Illicit Drugs” bracelet as a constant reminder to take action.

“Action is an antidote to despair,” he said.

It’s an action that has saved lives in her hometown of Rocklin in Placer County, California, about 22 miles northeast of Sacramento, Kiley told USA TODAY.

“The scale of this problem in our country right now can seem absolutely overwhelming, and it seems to be getting worse,” the congressman said. “But I think the kind of influence they have is really a big hope that we can really change that.”

Fentanyl poisoning crisis grabs Biden, Congress attention

Here are some actions political leaders could take that Didiers said would help save lives immediately:

• More education in schools to raise awareness about poison pills, counterfeit pills, fentanyl poisoning and the vulnerability of every child with a phone

• Improved screenings of what is being transmitted across the US border

• Updated communications laws to make it harder for drug dealers to exploit children through social media apps and other media

Kiley said raising awareness is something Republicans and Democrats could agree on.

“We need to make sure all parents are educated on what’s out there and how truly deadly these substances are, and the multiple ways that those selling these substances are reaching these young people,” he said.

Every 7 minutes, an American dies from fentanyl poisoning.

As Biden lays out his plan to fight the epidemic, the Didiers will know the pain of families losing loved ones.

“Zach is the one that was invited, but he can’t be here,” Chris Didier said. “We are very grateful to (Kiley) and others who say that with this mortality rate we really need to bring this to light. With so many people losing their lives, we need to give it the proper attention.”

Candy Woodall is a convention reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is Fentanyl Poisoning? State of the Union guests lost their child

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