MEADE COUNTY, Ky. — Fentanyl is killing Kentuckians. In fact, a state report says a concerning trend of increasing overdose deaths is because of several contributing factors. 

According to the 2021 Kentucky Overdose Fatality Report, overdose deaths have increased every year since 2019. In 2019, there were 1,316 overdose deaths, 1,964 in 2020, and 2,250 in 2021. 

John Moses, the harm reduction team leader for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, said, “Right now we’re in a crisis, and fentanyl has a choke hold on a big portion of Kentucky.”

Angela Evans-Crenshaw cherishes the pictures and memories of her daughter, Paula. Evans-Crenshaw knows exactly what fentanyl can do to a family.

“During the holidays, it’s hard. But I gotta get past it for her kids because I have to raise my grandbabies, so I gotta be strong.” Evans-Crenshaw, Paula’s mother, explained to Spectrum News 1.

28-year-old Paula Crenshaw died in Dec. 2019

“Oh, she was so sweet, and she was so bubbly,” Angela said with a big smile and laugh as she fondly remembered her daughter. “Everybody loved Paula. Everybody knew Paula.”

Evans-Crenshaw said her daughter truly loved people and animals and would give you the shirt off her back. As Angela reflected warmly on her daughter’s life, she said her daughter used to do a lot for the homeless in Louisville.

Evans-Crenshaw misses her daughter’s jokes and personality.

“She could just make you laugh!” Evans-Crenshaw said “She would just make me fall out laughing. Her personality was just so… she was… she could make funny just about anything.”

That laughter isn’t here anymore. Evans-Crenshaw said the family didn’t know how serious Paula’s drug problem had become.

“After we looked into it and all, we understood that fentanyl wasn’t her drug of choice. So, after we investigated, we realized that she couldn’t have known that the drugs she had, had fentanyl.” Evans-Crenshaw said as she touched photos of her late daughter. “She would talk about it all the time, that she wouldn’t do fentanyl. She would talk about it. It’s just ironic that that’s what killed her.”

Spectrum News 1 asked Moses why fentanyl makes up such a large percentage of overdose deaths.

“Because it’s super cheap. It’s super easy to conceal.” Moses explained about fentanyl. Moses said, “It comes in very, very small amounts; a few grains of salt-size can make a difference of whether you overdose or not. Fentanyl is 50-to-100-times more potent than morphine. So, it only takes just a little bit for someone to actually overdose.”

The 2021 Overdose Fatality Report from the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy stated there has been an increase in illicit fentanyl and its analogs within the drug supply. The report says an opioid was involved in 90% of all overdose deaths in Kentucky, and fentanyl was detected in over 70% of those cases, not only in Kentucky, but nationwide. The report said the problem is exacerbated by the widespread availability of potent, inexpensive methamphetamine. The overdose deaths last year, were a 14.5% increase from 2020.

Moses encourages awareness.

“The solution is never to lock everybody up. We’ve got to have robust treatment programs. We have to have access and health equity for people who use drugs so they can access the care they need. We have to get the word out there that the illegal drug supply is riddled with fentanyl and it’s very dangerous and we need people to find compassion for people who use drugs. Nobody woke up this morning and decided to be an addict.” Moses said.

Evans-Crenshaw said, “I wouldn’t want another family to go through what my family has went through with that fentanyl. It’s just so unexpected.”

It’s why Evans-Crenshaw’s family is raising awareness about fentanyl overdoses.

“I’m a mother that, and she was a mother that should still be with her children. She should not have went so fast before her time.” Evans-Crenshaw said. “We really need to do some things about it. We need to somehow, some kind of awareness for others so they’ll know how serious it is.”

Now, this family honors Paula’s life and legacy and they hope the world remembers to be a cheerful giver, like Paula would.

Evans-Crenshaw also said it would be great if they could get communities together—mothers and fathers—who lost loved ones to fentanyl.

If you or someone you know if struggling with substance use disorder, there is hope and there is help.

Call the Kentucky Help Call Center at 1-833-859-4357. You can speak with a specialist about resources that are available, as well as treatment options.