Iowa parents who lost son to fentanyl say there is a 'huge lack of understanding' around drugs
Two Iowa parents are working to change the stigma around the conversation on drugs. They said there is a "huge lack of understanding" about the issue.
Deric and Kathy Kidd's son, Sebastian, died in July 2021 after he took half a pill of what he thought was Percocet. He was unaware he had actually taken a counterfeit pill that contained a lethal dose of fentanyl.
Now, more than two years after their son's death, the Kidds said things need to change.
"We just keep sending the same old message," Deric Kidd said. "But the result is that these kids are still dying."
The Kidds said it's not enough to tell people to say no to drugs anymore. It's also about understanding why people are turning to drugs in the first place.
"If we don't understand why they're making these decisions, then we can't make it better for them," Deric Kidd said. "I think there's a huge lack of understanding with the general public as to why this is happening. They think it's just a matter of make the decision to take the drug or not take the drug. It's not that simple."
Kathy Kidd said having face-to-face conversations can help people understand the issue better, which can lead to solutions that will address all aspects of the problem.
"It starts from the top down and the bottom up," Kathy Kidd said. "I think it has to come from our government leaders. I think it has to come from our schools, within our schools, teachers, coaches, parents, community leaders. Everybody has to be talking about it."
But right now, the couple said they don't see those conversations happening as often as they should be.
"It is predominantly parents that are doing everything," Deric Kidd said. "The administration should be jumping all over this. It should not be us doing this. We should be grieving the loss of our son. But we can't just sit back and continue to let it happen."
Deric Kidd said he's frustrated with top leaders. He said he wishes the White House would talk and do more about drug and mental health problems.
The Kidds said they've talked to several presidential hopefuls about their son's story. The word "fentanyl" was mentioned twelve times during the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee on Aug. 23. Most of the time it was discussed, it was in connection to border security.
Deric and Kathy Kidd said the issue is bigger than where the supply may be coming from. It's also about why there's a demand.
"We can talk about fentanyl on the border all we want at these debates," Deric Kidd said. "But the general public still doesn't understand the dangers behind it. They don't understand the problems that we're facing in this country, the mental health problems and how this is affecting our children."
The Kidds started their son's foundation and started a nonprofit called It initially started out as just a place to help the grieving families, but it soon evolved into an educational tool. Deric and Kathy said they recently proposed some educational programs to the state of Iowa to get more information out into the community and schools.