CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — August is Overdose Awareness Month, but for one mother in the Coastal Bend...it’s more than a month, it’s a lifetime reality of how she lost her son.
In 2021, Fay Martin got a phone call that no parent could prepare themselves for, with news that would change their family forever.
"That my only son Ryan had died from an overdose...and it turned out to be fentanyl poisoning," said Martin.
Fay described her son as having the world at his fingertips, a good job, friends and his two beloved German shepherds. She says her son first was introduced to opioids after a workplace injury in 2016. He later became addicted.
Fay explained, "After his doctor weaned him off, which was the proper thing to do, he began buying pills on the street. That led to different drugs, in and out of rehabs for several years. Ultimately, it ended up taking his life."
Ryan lost his battle to opioids on the eve of his 29th birthday, and since that day his mother has been fighting against opioid addiction, and what it has taken from her. She serves on executive boards, and participates in rallies in D.C.
Most recently she started a local chapter of "Not One More-Texas", a nonprofit that strives to connect people concerned with drug addictions to resources.
"I can’t save my kid. I’m trying to save other kids because it’s too late," said Fay.
One person can’t end the fentanyl crisis. Fay knows that it takes a village and she has worked to gather one.
She arranged with her employer, Starbucks, to hang an awareness banner during the whole month of August at their storefront. She also partnered with a local small business by creating a specialty jam named after her son, with all proceeds going to the "Not One More".
"We actually called it Ryan's Jams. Her daughter came up with that; I thought it was so cute," said Tish Gavlick, Owner and Creator of Nauti T’s Creations.
Gavlick shared that when she was asked to create the special jam to raise awareness she didn’t hesitate to say yes.
"I was like, 'Hey let's put his picture on it, so we can honor him.' I wanted to know the colors. We put this purple ribbon on it too", said Gavlick.
The berry medley recipe is exclusive to Ryan’s jam, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to "Not One More".
"It brings joy to me to be able to help with stuff like this," Gavlick said.
Nauti T’s has also created two snack baskets that are up for raffle. You can bid on them on their Facebook page.
The proceeds from that raffle will also go to support "Not One More".