Lexington mother shares story one year after losing daughter to fentanyl overdose
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On January 27, 2022, Laura New’s daughter Cara died from a fentanyl overdose—a tragic ending to an eight-year battle to save her daughter.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A Lexington mother is sharing her story a little more than a year after losing her daughter to a fentanyl overdose.
On January 27, 2022, Laura New’s daughter Cara died from a fentanyl overdose—a tragic ending to an eight-year battle to save her daughter.
“It’s almost like there’s just no words,” said Laura. “I feel like I fought the battle with her, and I lost. But I couldn’t fix her. She had to fix herself.”
In 2021, a record number of Kentuckians died from an overdose. Numbers for 2022 haven’t been released yet, but Cara will be one of those statistics.
“This is a public health emergency,” Laura said. “People just don’t realize if you haven’t lived it or walked in our shoes living with an addict. The stigma and the shame of addiction needs to stop.”
Every time Laura hears of an overdose, it takes her back.
“First, it’s anger. Why can we not stop this? Or slow it down?” Laura said. “So first it’s anger, then I want to reach out to those families and say, ‘Hey, I’ve been there. I’m here if you need to talk, need to vent.’”
Laura has documented her daughter’s journey on social media. She says it’s reached people across the country. She’s even gotten messages from people in other states who have since gone to rehab.
“If I can help one person, one person, just one person. My daughter did not die in vain, and I will not let her name, no, she didn’t die in vain,” Laura said.
A grieving mother who just wants to make a difference.
“I just want her to rest in peace,” Laura said. “I hope she’s proud of Mom. I’m just trying to share her story, and I know she’s smiling down at me.”
Laura says she is working to someday open a treatment facility in her daughter’s name.
You can learn about addiction recovery resources here.
Kentucky has an addiction recovery hotline at 1-833-8KY-HELP. People personally struggling with addiction and their family members can call.
