On The Road To Recovery

“I started Fourthwall Youth Studios in 2015 in response the the academic struggles my son Aidan was having in high school, creating a filmmaking program that would offer Aidan…and other creative young people like him..an alternative path to success, a purpose and hope.

Aidan (pictured here) also struggled with addiction and on January 31st, 2023 he overdosed on Fentanyl and passed away. He was just 25 years old. With his passing, we lost a son, a brother, an uncle, a friend, an artist, a musician, a skateboarder, one who was endlessly curious, always the funniest in the room, an old soul, always challenging us to look at the world in a different light.

Aidan passed away in our living room. I found his body. After calling 911, I was struck by the robustness of their response. They arrived so quickly, the EMT followed by the fire department, then the police, then the detectives, and finally the coroner. In a matter of a few hours all the photos were taken, the paperwork was complete. I’ll never forget the sound of the zipper, the sound of my son leaving our house for the very last time, in a body bag. Where was this help and efficiency when my son was alive? It was hard to find.

As I reflected on his passing, his addiction and, that in spite of my efforts, I felt so ill informed, so ill equipped and often very alone in the fight to get him well. Some of it is pretty basic, like where to get and how to administer Narcan or learn about fentanyl test strips or speak with a peer navigator.  Some is more complex like medical professionals in the continuum of care refusing to share patient data with each other and therefore blind to your loved one’s status. And against this backdrop those with SUD are struggling, caregivers are seeing their loved ones slip away and lives are being destroyed.

This project is an effort to make us less blind, to ensure we know all of the resources that are available, the understanding that when you are at your weakest that you need to be your strongest, that 911 is not on the way. There are blind spots in the system. Addiction services, unlike cardiac or cancer care, is underfunded, they don’t have big marketing budgets and outreach is limited. You need to be aware, be prepared, and fight. I hope these podcasts help keep you informed or maybe just keep you company.”