Texas

North Texas mother channels grief into ‘Winning The Fight’ against opioid abuse

Published

1 year ago

September 14, 2023

North Texas mother channels grief into ‘Winning The Fight’ against opioid abuse

NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – Narcan, the nasal spray that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses, is now on store shelves at major retailers in North Texas for the first time this week.

Making it available over-the-counter is a promising step forward in the fight against the nation’s overdose crisis, but some advocates say it’s not enough.

“There’s no reason why everybody shouldn’t have some of this,” said Kathy O’Keefe, who’s become somewhat of an expert on Naloxone.

She recently trained the entire staff at The Colony High School on how to administer Narcan, the nasal spray version of the life-saving antidote.

“It’s not a drug,” O’Keefe said. “It will not hurt anybody. If you give it somebody and they don’t have opiates, nothing is going to happen. There’s no liability. And that’s the education we have to get out.”

Narcan wasn’t so widely available back in 2010, when O’Keefe’s 18-year-old son Brett died of an accidental drug overdose.

Treatment options have improved too.

“If Brett was here now and we were going through these challenges, it may have been a little different,” she said. “We don’t know.”

You can now buy Narcan without a prescription at major retailers like CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for about $45. Advocates said the kits will only be useful if people feel comfortable going into a store and buying it, and then administering the opioid antidote if someone shows symptoms of an overdose.

“It’s the people who don’t think they need it, don’t even know what Naloxone is – that’s the people we have to reach,” O’Keefe said.

She believes every family should keep the rescue medication in their home.

According to a recent study, overdoses involving both stimulants and fentanyl have increased 50-fold since 2010.

The CDC reported nearly 110,000 people died of drug poisonings in 2022.

“My biggest thing is don’t think it wouldn’t happen to you,” O’Keefe said. “My attitude is assume it’s going to happen, and then you’ll be prepared for it.”

Her son’s four-year battle with addiction took a toll on their entire family. When he died, O’Keefe channeled her grief into creating a nonprofit.

“We couldn’t save Brett, but luckily we’ve learned enough to be able to save other families, and that’s really what it comes down to, trying to help anybody we can help,” she said.

Winning The Fight offers education, support and resources to families suffering from addiction.

O’Keefe works closely with school districts like Lewisville ISD.

If we don’t teach our kids about drugs, one of their friends will,” she said. “So which information do you want to get? So I teach parents about the drugs so they can know what to look for.”

She says to truly win this fight, it will take everyone in the community getting involved.

Caroline Vandergriff

Caroline Vandergriff joined the CBS 11 News team in September 2019. She grew up in Arlington (go Lamar Vikings!), and is thrilled to be back home in North Texas.

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Texas

Why Texas A&M’s Taurean York Has A Personal Vendetta vs. Texas Longhorns

Published

7 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Why Texas A&M’s Taurean York Has A Personal Vendetta vs. Texas Longhorns

There might not be two rosters in America that are more familiar with one another than that of the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M Aggies.

Between the two programs, there are 161 players from the state of Texas – the vast majority of whom played against at least one or multiple players on the other side in high school previously.

And as if that didn’t make the competition fierce enough, the Longhorns and Aggies will be facing off for the first time in 13 years this Saturday, with each of those players hoping to leave their mark on the rivalry.

That includes Aggies star linebacker Taurean York, who holds a personal vendetta against the Longhorns and cannot wait to see them on the field.

“I wanted the A&M offer,” York said Monday. “(Texas) stayed 50 minutes away from me. They came on a helicopter to see my best friend. … They weren’t paying me much attention. I didn’t invest too much in those guys anyways.”

York signed with Texas A&M as a three-star recruit out of Temple (TX), originally committing to Baylor before the Aggies offered late in the process.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns didn’t even extend the now-Aggies captain an offer, instead choosing to sign five other linebackers: five-star Anthony Hill, four-stars Derion Gullette, Leona Leafua, and Tasuli Akana, and three-star S’Maje Burrell.

And as York said over the summer, he took that personally.

“It’s personal, that’s all I have to say, it’s personal,” York said at SEC Media Days. “I don’t talk to anybody from Texas because it’s that personal to me. They didn’t recruit me and there are a lot of comparisons going on about me and Texas players. So I kinda put those rest in a sense.”

To be fair, the Longhorns hardly made a bad choice in the players they signed. Hill is arguably the best linebacker in the SEC, while Lefau is a key contributor and rising star on the defense. Not to mention, the Longhorns have high hopes for Akana and Gullette in the future.

In fact, only Burrell proved to be a bad investment by the Horns, after he was involved in an offseason drunk driving incident with former Longhorn T’Vondre Sweat, and was dismissed from the team.

Either way, York will now finally get his chance to face Texas on the field and prove why he believes they did make a mistake by not recruiting him during the 2023 cycle.

Kick off is set for 6:30 pm CT on ABC, with York hoping the Longhorns continue their trend of receiving the opening kick.

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Texas

BlackRock, Vanguard Accused of Violating Antitrust Law by Texas

Published

15 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

BlackRock, Vanguard Accused of Violating Antitrust Law by Texas

BlackRock Inc., Vanguard Group Inc. and State Street Corp. were sued by a group of states led by Texas for allegedly breaking antitrust law by boosting electricity prices through their investments, in the highest-profile lawsuit yet against the beleaguered ESG industry.

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Texas

Aggie Gameday Extra Podcast: Can Texas A&M renew the rivalry with a win over Texas?

Published

23 hours ago

November 27, 2024

Press Room

Aggie Gameday Extra Podcast: Can Texas A&M renew the rivalry with a win over Texas?

Saturday marks a game 13 years in the making. Texas A&M and Texas return to a rivalry football game, now that both teams are in the Southeastern Conference. Beyond that, both teams are playing for a berth into the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff. KBTX senior A&M sportswriter Travis L. Brown, along with chief meteorologist Max Crawford and sports director Tyler Shaw break down A&M’s chances at coming out of Kyle Field with a win.

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