WHEELING – It had been more than three years since Wheeling resident Cathy Higgs lost her daughter Casey to fentanyl overdose. Saturday was the first time she was able to talk publicly about it.

The pain was – and still is – immense for Higgs. Yet she felt it was finally time to tell others about her daughter’s story. Maybe it will spur someone else to seek recovery.

“That’s exactly what the purpose is,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve done it, but it needed to be done, and things needed to be said. People need to be aware of the dangers and how this really is a poison.”

Higgs’ first words about her daughter’s death came before an audience of dozens Saturday at Discover Recovery, an event sponsored by YWCA Wheeling, Youth Services System and the Ohio County IMPACT Coalition. The organizations came together at West Virginia Northern Community College on International Overdose Awareness Day to provide resources for people and families dealing with substance misuse, as well as offer a platform for family members of those lost to overdose to tell their loved ones’ stories.

Person after person came to the podium at WVNCC during the Voices of Hope presentation, telling the audience not just about the way they lost their loved one, but also how their loved one lived, their joys, struggles and hopes.

“It’s important to know that the opposite of addiction is connection,” said Lauren Kotz, YSS Region One State Opioid Response Program Administrator. “So when we come to events like this, we connect with the people who have experienced substance use disorder, who have experienced loss from substance use disorder. And that’s how we break through the stigma, as we connect with each other, having folks come up and tell their stories and their loved ones’ stories.”

Casey had completed rehab but had relapsed right before she died in June 2021 from a lethal dose of fentanyl. Yet, Higgs said, her life was so much more than its end.

“Some words that her friends and family have used to describe her are beautiful, carefree, generous, loyal, hilarious, loving, protective, strong, supportive, genuine … free spirited with a soul-shining smile,” said family friend Melanie Straight. “She was also referred to as strong, determined and stubborn, but in Casey’s own words, ‘sometimes it be like that.'”

Higgs admitted Casey was no saint, that her life had not been easy and she was “born into chaos and trauma.” But losing her to fentanyl was unnecessary and Higgs said something needed to be done to get fentanyl off the streets.

On top of the Voices of Hope presentation, the event also offered guests access to resources to help aid people in recovery. Those organizations included Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Family Resource Network and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Wheeling.

“This is important for the healing process, but it’s also important to bring awareness to the community, said Shannalee Kuri, YWCA WIND Program Director, “and that we’re able to support them and that they’re able to stand up and share their stories with the community.”

“The families here today said their loved one isn’t just a statistic,” Kuri added.

For Higgs, Casey still serves as an inspiration, especially in her own recovery journey. Higgs has had her stumbles in sobriety, but her daughter’s memory has spurred her to pick herself up and return to that path of recovery.

It’s part of the reason that Higgs chose to stand before the crowd Saturday and tell Casey’s story.

“I feel like I did right by her,” she said. “I feel like I want to continue to do right by her.”