I still mother them….

You See a Statistic. I See a Person.

People ask me all the time how I keep doing this.

How I keep talking about overdose. How I keep showing up. How I keep organizing meetings, trainings, and Overdose Awareness Day. How I can continue to tell Vincent’s story nine years later.

The answer has never changed.

Because you see a statistic.

I see a person.

I see a little boy who made me laugh until my stomach hurt. I see a young man who was loved beyond measure. I see a grandson who still asks questions about his uncle. I see birthdays, holidays, inside jokes, and memories that didn’t disappear the day he died.

When someone else hears the word “addict,” I hear someone’s child.

Someone’s whole world.

That’s why stigma hurts so much. It takes an entire life and reduces it to one word. One diagnosis. One moment. One cause of death. It forgets the baseball games, the family dinners, the dreams, the favorite songs, the people who loved them, and the people who still do.

Face the Facts has never been about overdose.

It’s always been about people.

It’s about making sure families know they don’t have to hide. It’s about creating a place where recovery is celebrated, grief is welcomed, questions are answered, and hope has a seat at the table. It’s about reminding every person who walks through our doors that they matter, whether they’re struggling themselves or loving someone who is.

Every Narcan training matters.

Every conversation matters.

Every story matters.

Because stories change hearts. Hearts change minds. And changed minds save lives.

As Overdose Awareness Day gets closer, you’ll see more faces on my page. More stories. More families. Some people may wonder why we keep sharing them.

Because if we don’t…

They’re reduced to numbers.

And they were never numbers.

They were sons.

They were daughters.

They were moms and dads, brothers and sisters, best friends, coworkers, neighbors, classmates, and someone’s greatest love.

Until the day the number is zero, I’ll keep saying their names.

I’ll keep telling their stories.

I’ll keep fighting the stigma.

Because you’ll never convince me they’re just statistics.

I know better.

I loved one. And now, through Face the Facts, I’ve come to love so many more.