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.