By Laura Hayes – [email protected]
Twins Gwen and Casey Sodergren were in middle school when a family friend died after unintentionally ingesting fentanyl.
Eli Weinstock was 20.
“He was a very good kid — he worked with children, he was a good student, overall such a nice, sweet kid. It was very devastating for his family and for everyone. It was really hard,” says Gwen, now a junior at Concord-Carlisle High School.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) describes fentanyl as 100 times more potent than morphine. The DEA says two milligrams of fentanyl can be lethal, depending on tolerance, past use, and body mass.
After Eli’s death, his mother, Beth Weinstock, started BirdieLight. As part of this work, Weinstock tells her story at schools nationwide. Gwen and her mother, Melinda Kulish, helped out when Weinstock spoke at Northeastern University. Hearing her story was one of the most moving things Gwen had ever heard, she says.
“We didn’t know him personally, but he felt so similar to us. … This felt like something that could happen to a kid at CCHS. It felt very close to home,” says Gwen.
The birth of Safeguard OD
After hearing Weinstock speak, Gwen and Casey wanted to do something in their community, so they formed Safeguard OD. The non-profit’s mission is to provide Narcan — which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose — and information about the fentanyl crisis to as many people as possible.
Originally, their mission was to widely distribute Narcan, and though that is still a goal, the Sodergrens say they realized they could not do that effectively without an education component.
“It took us longer than we thought it would. We had a lot of obstacles along the way, but so far, we’re just beginning our education part of this,” says Gwen.
There’s a stigma about fentanyl, Gwen says, and that’s in part why people are dying and not getting the help they need. Casey adds there’s a belief that nicer towns are somehow insulated.
“Having this idea that this is something that is far away and you won’t be affected by it will keep people from being safe and taking measured risks,” says Casey. “Saying ‘don’t do this’ or ‘don’t do that’ doesn’t keep people safe. It might stop some people from doing it, but there are still people that are going to do it.”
He says their aim is to “make sure [opioid users] have the resources to keep themselves safe.”
Education efforts
The Sodergrens are raising funds for a “graduation gift” of fentanyl test strips, Narcan, and educational pamphlets for CCHS seniors.
Recently, they began working with several religious organizations in Concord. For one of Safeguard OD’s first events, First Parish in Concord is hosting and co-sponsoring BirdieLight at 7 p.m. on March 12, along with Safeguard, Kerem Shalom, and Trinitarian Congregational Church. The talk is appropriate for teens, college students, and parents. Weinstock will speak at CCHS earlier that day.
Minister of religious education Amy Freedman says First Parish partnered with Safeguard OD because she saw it as an opportunity to educate and equip the community.
“We wanted to make sure that families, leaders, and citizens of Concord started to talk more openly about opioid addiction. You can really offer lifesaving care if you know what to do and what the signs are,” says Freedman.
BirdieLight will be speaking at First Parish at 7 p.m. on March 12. For more information about Safeguard OD, including how to donate, visit safeguardod.org.
