Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse fight to save Palm Springs youth

Imagine hearing that your child has died after taking just one pill from a “friend” because after studying all evening, he or she went to a party and felt sleepy. The friend said: “Take this. It will help you to stay awake.”

Instead your child goes to sleep. Forever.

Sadly, this is far too common a story these days. According to data from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, there were 208 Fentanyl overdoses in Riverside County between January and May of 2023. Of those, 55 occurred in the Coachella Valley.

In 2022, 519 people overdosed in Riverside County; 137 of those occurred in the Coachella Valley.

Fentanyl is a potent opioid drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for pain relief. It also carries a high risk for addiction and dependence. When combined with alcohol or illicit drugs like heroin or cocaine, the results can be deadly.

MAPDA (Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse) is active here in the valley and ready to tackle this problem by having conversations with our youth.

Thanks to the generosity of owner Charissa Farley-Hay, Wildest Restaurant in Palm Desert was the setting for an event held Oct. 27 where a group of men and women could enjoy complimentary cocktails and appetizers as they listened to people share stories of Fentanyl and other prescription drug tragedies.

Janet Janes from Cathedral City said the hardest thing she has ever done in her life was writing an obituary for her son, who lost his life to methadone at the age of 19.

MAPDA was founded by Janes, and its board chair and CEO is Congresswoman Mary Bono.

Working to spread the word at the event along with Janes were local philanthropic personalities Kim Waltrip, Karen Devine, Linda Gray, Melissa Neiderman, Tim Gross, Susan Murphy, Andrea Carter, Renae Madore, Garyk Lee, Dennis De Groot, Jeff Howe, Rick Rockhill and more.

Waltrip said many more gatherings are planned locally, and the organization’s humanitarian awards will be held here in the spring. The campaign is called “The Greatest Gift Is a Conversation,” and as we approach the holiday party season, look at that young person across the table and with love in your voice have that difficult conversation. Tell them the 2023 holiday season is just one of many you want to enjoy with them and their children and their children’s children, because an empty chair at the table can never truly be refilled, and the hole in your heart will never heal.

Brooke Beare, Emmy Award-winning journalist and government communicator who serves as public information officer for the Riverside County District Attorney’s office said her focus is highlighting this problem and making everyone aware of this terrifying problem mushrooming all over the country at an alarming rate.

Remember: It’s not “one pill can kill,” it’s “one pill will kill, has killed and will continue to kill" — unless we all get on board with MAPDA and have conversations with our young about the dangers of prescription drug misuse.

To learn more about MAPDA or to make a donation, visit mapda.net.

Carole Stephen-Smith began writing in Scotland for a woman’s weekly at the age of 15 and then covered American celebrities for the London Evening Echo. Arriving in the desert, she wrote for Desert Woman in the 1990s. Carole focuses on charities that help women as well as medical causes, especially breast cancer awareness, and all aspects of child abuse.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse fight to save local youth