Tina Crawford has seen many happy occasions at her Paradise Cove at Lake Grapevine event space, including her own marriage to her husband, Brent Patrick Crawford. This weekend, she will mark another anniversary: his death.
"It's, ah, still so hard to wrap my head around," Crawford said wiping tears. "July 24 at 5 p.m., and that moment destroyed my heart."
That's the day one year ago Brent died from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl. He was 31 years old.
"Yes. The drug killed him physically, but really the shame killed him," Crawford said. "In Brent's case, pot led to pills, pills led to heroin, heroin led to death."
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Crawford said her husband had battled addiction since his teenage years, with stretches of sobriety and relapse.
"I had those blinders on. Like, 'OK, he's in recovery now. All is good,'" Crawford said. "I could have done things differently so I could assist him. Now, my purpose in life is to help others so they don't live in regret."
Crawford will hold a community event at Paradise Cove on Sunday that is part block party get-together, part addiction awareness and education. Local law enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Valley Hope Treatment Center, addiction counselors and NARCAN trainers will be there.
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"Something happened to society with COVID," said Jacqueline Mayfield, executive director of Valley Hope. "It changed the addict."
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 100,000 people died of drug overdoses in the year ending in April, 2021. That's a nearly 30% increase over the year prior.
"I have people from under a bridge, to a surgeon in my center," Mayfield said. "So it's touching every walk of life. So we've got to figure it out. People are lost and hurting. It's everybody. It's everywhere."
"He was this buff, good-looking guy, but his heart was better looking than he was," Crawford said. "So much life lived in such a short time. He would want his story shared."
The First Annual Overdose Awareness Community Event is Sunday, July 24, from 4 to 9 p.m. at Paradise Cove on Lake Grapevine. The event is free.
