One pill can kill | Local family spreads awareness of fentanyl dangers

Kaden Bryce Vincent, 18, was a senior at Aledo High School with his whole life ahead of him.

He was a month away from graduating and had planned to attend a technical college pursuing a career in computer programming. He had just become a father to his four-month-old son, Dean, and was planning a future with his girlfriend, Megan Wells.

But everything changed in an instant when Vincent’s life was tragically cut short by the unintentional use of the most dangerous and lethal drug on the illegal drug market — fentanyl.

In January 2021, Vincent moved in with his grandmother, Julie Vincent, in Aledo, so she could help with young Dean. It was during this time that Wells, Kaden’s girlfriend, woke up Julie one night because she was unable to wake Kaden.

“I thought, ‘It's just him. He's real hard to wake up anyway,’ He always had been,” Julie said. “But when I turned the light on, his lips were blue. She said she had already heard him kind of gurgling and he made some weird noises. I feel like he was probably gone even though we did CPR.”

Kaden was rushed by ambulance to a hospital in Willow Park while EMT’s and nurses were continuing to perform CPR.

“They came out and I said, ‘Stop. He's not coming back,’” Julie said.

Kaden passed away on April 13, 2021.

Julie said Kaden had purchased what he thought was Percocet from a drug dealer on Snapchat, but was unaware that the pill had been laced with fentanyl.

“Now that fentanyl is becoming laced in everything now, they have these pill presses that they make their own to look like it's a Percocet or Xanax or even Adderall. I'm part of all these groups on Facebook that are trying to get the message out to everyone because we feel like it's a national emergency,” Julie said. "With as many deaths that (are) going on with this drug, you think that they would have something on the news about fentanyl. They talk about COVID and monkey pox, and I'm not saying those are not bad things, but we're losing more people to fentanyl than we ever thought of losing to those two. Why can't fentanyl get the national awareness that those get? It's killing more Americans than those two combined.”

According to the CDC website, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.

Two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. Drug Enforcement Administration analysis has found counterfeit pills ranging from .02 to 5.1 milligrams (more than twice the lethal dose) of fentanyl per tablet. One kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people, according to dea.gov.

Fentanyl is a leading killer in the United States. In fact, fentanyl deaths in America across all age groups doubled from 32,754 fatalities to 64,178 fatalities in just two years between April 2019 and April 2021. Fentanyl deaths occur every nine minutes or less in the United States, according to nationaldayarchives.com.

Julie is a member of several fentanyl awareness Facebook groups like APALD (Association of People Against Lethal Drugs) and Lost Voices of Fentanyl.

“Some of the information that I've been given from some of these associations, they say that it's the number one killer of adults 18 to 45 years old right now and that four out of 10 pills are fatal, so it's kind of like playing Russian roulette,” Julie said. “They're also saying there's 275 deaths a day directly related to synthetic opioids, and they're saying there's like a 430% increase since 2019 with the drugs being laced with fentanyl. I know I read somewhere that Texas seized 225 million deadly doses in one year, and in 2021 alone, Texas law enforcement seized enough fentanyl to kill every single person in Texas, California, New York and Illinois combined.”

PREVENTION, AWARENESS DAY

The DEA will observe Sunday, Aug. 21, as National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day to bring education and awareness to the public about the dangers of fentanyl. According to nationaldayarchives.com, on this day, affected families will share their experiences in an effort to alert other families about illicit fentanyl. Advocates and educators acknowledge this day to spread awareness and education about the ever-changing drug landscape of synthetic opioids and fentanyl, informing people how to protect themselves and the ones they love.

Julie has made it her goal to educate others about fentanyl and has even spoken with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in person about the fentanyl epidemic.

“I've learned more about fentanyl than I ever thought I would know in my life just because of being part of all these groups and trying to get involved and doing what I can to help bring awareness so that no other family has to go through this hell,” she said. “I mean, it was pure hell. It's just something you're not prepared for. It takes you by surprise and it just rocks you to your core.”

Granbury resident Kendra Hofeldt, Kaden’s stepmother and Julie’s daughter-in-law, said she has made plans with Julie in September to attend a fentanyl awareness rally in front of the White House in Washington D.C.

“Awareness and sharing information with your loved ones is the key to saving lives,” Hofeldt said. “I am a voice for Kaden, and I will always advocate for fentanyl awareness in his memory. I also advocate for tougher laws on dealers in Texas regarding fentanyl poisonings and drug-induced homicide. I share because of my love for Kaden, and all of the other thousands of families that have lost their loved one to this deadly drug. I share in hopes it will save another family from having to mourn the loss of someone they care about. It has taken too many away from us and something must be done.”

PREVENTION

Julie recommends that families educate their teens and other family members about the dangers associated with fentanyl.

“They need to educate their kids, their grandkids and anyone that is in their life, obviously, because there's adults being killed by this too,” she said. “They're playing Russian roulette if they take a drug that is bought off the streets. There's a chance you're not going to wake up tomorrow and that's what everyone needs to know.”

Julie recommends for everyone to obtain several boxes of the medication naloxone, or the brand name, Narcan, which is a prescription nasal spray medication that can treat narcotic overdose in an emergency situation.

"Get Narcan, keep it on hand because you never know when you're going to need it,” she said. “One lady said she had a box that had two in it. She used both of those. They didn't bring her child back around, but she happened to have another box and she gave him that third dose and it brought them back, so it takes a lot of Narcan to reverse this fentanyl and you have to find them within a certain amount of time, but if you do, there's a possibility that you can save them.”

IN MEMORY OF KADEN VINCENT

Kaden was described by Julie as being shy and reserved but was also “his own worst enemy” because he thought he “had to be the best at everything.” She said he loved his son dearly and was always worried about others babysitting. He loved dabbling in computers and loved taking them apart and putting them back together.

“He turned 18 on March 5, 2021, and then he took that pill on April 13, so right after his 18th birthday. He had dreams and plans and did not plan on taking a pill that would kill him,” she said. “All I can say is that it can happen to anyone. You can say ‘Oh no, not my kid,’ or you can say, ‘Oh no, not my grandkid,' but I can tell you websites or Facebook groups to go to and there has been someone that's been affected that has a story to tell that will rock you to your core. These kids, adults, they were all looking forward to their futures. They were not ready to go, and these drug dealers were just trying to make money off of our kids, and don't care whether they're killing them or not. It's just crazy in my mind. I can't even fathom someone thinking that way.”

Hofeldt added, “This fentanyl epidemic is widespread and killing our family, friends and children. Fentanyl poisoning deaths are rising every day. It is being laced in all forms of drugs and anything that is not prescribed to you, should not be taken. It is impossible to tell the difference. Fentanyl is being disguised in all substances from pills to powders, and then sold through many social media sites, and just about any other place you could think of. All it takes is one fake pill to kill.”