SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. — The Christmas trees in Laura Thurman’s Bullitt County home are decorated with photos of her daughter Morgan Lewis.
Some are with her friends or her dog. Others are handmade from when she was a little girl.
Morgan loved cheerleading and animals.
February will mark two years since Thurman says Morgan, 23, was over at a friend’s house and made the choice to experiment with cocaine, not knowing it was laced with fentanyl.
“She was not able to be Narcan-ed,” said Thurman. “She had laid in a cold bath for way too long and when the EMTs and the fire department got there, she went into cardiac arrest.”
If someone in the home had the overdose-reversing drug Narcan on hand, Morgan would still be alive today, Thurman said.
As part of the nonprofit Morgan’s Mission, Thurman spreads awareness about fentanyl poisoning and overdose and helps to distribute Narcan.
“I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, they shouldn’t be Narcan-ed more than this many times,’” said Thurman. “Well, if it was your son or your daughter, you would feel very differently about that, because if I could Narcan Morgan 100 times over and over, I would, just to have her back.”
Morgan’s Mission recently launched The Narcan Project, inviting people to share their experiences with the life-saving medication.
Thurman read some of the Facebook posts aloud.
“It took two doses of Narcan to reverse my overdose. Narcan saved my life. Without it, my story would have turned out very different.”
“If it wasn’t for Narcan, I wouldn’t have a husband. My children wouldn’t have their father.”
The organization has already received over two dozen submissions, said Thurman.
They are stories she hopes will help educate others on the importance of carrying Narcan.
“I feel like if I’m not out trying to save other people, I can’t save myself,” said Thurman. “I feel like if I’m not busy constantly doing stuff, I might not get out of bed. I have to stay busy.”