Parents Raising Awareness About Fentanyl Dangers Following Son’s Death
Written By Glenn Kittle and Samantha O'Connor for Western Mass News
July 8, 2023
MONSON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Two parents from western Massachusetts are carrying on their son’s legacy through an organization he started before he died from fentanyl poisoning.
Paula and Phil Young are attempting to triumph through tragedy after their son Andrew Ganhão died after being poisoned by fentanyl.
“This is very important to us to bring awareness in reference to fentanyl and xylazine because it’s rampant out there,” said Paula.
The Youngs told Western Mass News that their son was given marijuana by a friend that had been laced with fentanyl. Paula said that it is a story known all too well by the families whose lives have been affected by the deadly drug.
“50% of the people who are being poisoned across the United States today are being given something by someone they actually know,” she told us.
Before Andrew’s tragic death, he started an organization called Achieve Greatness, Inc. that was originally meant to serve as a youth basketball camp where Ganhão would coach and mentor local kids.
After his death, his parents kept the name and turned their tragedy into purpose by raising awareness of the dangers of fentanyl while still keeping the organization’s core foundation intact.
“As part of that non-profit, we have a couple of goals,” said Phil. “One of them is to provide basketball camp scholarships to the youth of Massachusetts. We also want to create education and awareness of the dangers of fentanyl. There are very many young people that are passing away from this.”
By the numbers, the CDC reports that fentanyl poisoning kills more than 300 people in the United States every day.
Paula hopes that their foundation can keep other parents from sharing the same grief.
“We want to save your children; we want to save you,” Paula said. “We do not want you to be on a billboard, as you can see in the back, 30 lives lost unbeknownst to them because of fentanyl.”
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