Lake Area women use Project Trey to warn of fentanyl dangers

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - Law enforcement agencies across the nation have been sounding the alarm about how dangerous fentanyl can be. And now, they’re getting some help from Lake Area families who know just how much it can hurt a family.

The loss of a loved one from an overdose can be devastating. And with the rise in fentanyl deaths across the nation more and more families are feeling the sting of that loss.

For Heather Stillings, “March 11 makes one year that I lost my daughter.”

And for Dawn Farris, “I lost my dad last Easter.”

And Tonya Doucette says, “I lost my son, Trey Comeaux on Nov. 23, 2020.”

These three Lake Area women were brought together by the tragic loss of their loved ones.

Heather says, “It was from fentanyl poisoning. And I know for a fact she didn’t want to die.”

It’s a sad truth that many who die from Fentanyl never even find out that it’s been mixed in with their drug of choice until it’s too late.

Tonya knows all too well that, “Fentanyl is so deadly, even at the equivalent of just a few grains of salt.”

And those few grains are all it takes.

“And he made that decision...that one 10-second decision, to take that pill. And the next morning I found him in his bed.”

That same story has been told by countless families across the U.S.

And Tonya says Louisiana has been hit hard, “Louisiana has been one of the top states in the nation for accidental overdose deaths and fentanyl poisoning. And Calcasieu Parish has been in the top three for accidental overdose deaths and fentanyl poisoning in Louisiana.”

Heather says her family is just one of many that were shattered, “It’s devastating. I lost my daughter, my best friend, and it’s hard to get through that.”

Now, all three women are working to raise awareness of the danger this substance presents through Project Trey.

Tonya warns that it’s impossible for the average person to know if fentanyl has been mixed into a drug until it’s too late, “We have a friend who is a pharmacist and he’ll tell me you can’t tell by the naked eye.”

But the three are also working together to console those families who have lost loved ones, one step at a time.

For Heather, she says it’s the least she can do for her daughter, “That’s what she would want.”

And Tonya’s message for those who have lost, “I’m telling you one thing, it is the most empowering thing there is, as a family member when you’re around people like that who have lost. We understand each other, you don’t even have to know each other’s name. We just get it.”

Project Trey will be holding a drug overdose awareness walk at 4 p.m. in Lake Charles’ Prien Lake Park on Sunday, March 19.

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