'Hopefully, I can save a life': Families of victims distribute overdose awareness kits in FDL County

FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — Families who have lost a loved one to a fentanyl overdose are donating nine overdose awareness kits to local businesses in Fond du Lac, hoping to prevent more tragedy from the drug.

With the help of the county health department and local nonprofits like Advocap, they're hoping to save lives.

• The kits contain Narcan, fentanyl test strips, CPR masks, and information on addiction resources.
• The families, along with the Fond du Lac County Health Department, are distributing the kits to local businesses.
• Video shows families explaining their goals for the kits.

For Sue Fischer, this is personal.

She lost her son to a fentanyl overdose in 2020.

"If there would have been some Narcan in the house, he could have been revived," Fischer said.

I first met Fischer last winter, when she began an initiative with other parents to place kits like this in local businesses.

"These kits aren't aren't endorsing drug use," Fischer said. "They're there to have in your house if... I mean, graduation's coming up, prom, all that stuff where kids go out and do things that they maybe shouldn't be doing, but to have Narcan, you could save a life."

Tammy Freund lost her son Jacob to a fentanyl overdose five years ago.

"It was kind of a shock to me," Freund said.

She, like Fischer, decided to take action to prevent another family from experiencing their grief by promoting the use of overdose kits.

"If I can save one life, not my son, I did something meaningful," Freund said. "Hopefully, I can save a life."

The two mothers donated eight overdose awareness kits to Fond du Lac County to place in local businesses. Advocap donated one. The kits contain Narcan, fentanyl test strips, and information about addiction recovery.

Sarah Grandinjan with the Fond du Lac County Health Department said the county saw 24 overdose deaths in 2023.

"These tragic losses we know continued into 2024," Grandinjan said.

She said fentanyl was present in 87 percent of those overdoses.

"You can't see it, smell it, or taste it," Grandinjan said. "And in a tiny amount, as little as two grams of salt is enough to be deadly to someone."

Fischer and Freund hope to change the statistics.

"We need to raise awareness, and people need to realize that there's an ongoing issue," Freund said.

The mothers said they hope to distribute even more kits in the future.

The locations of these kits can be found on the county's website.