Spotlight on Overdose: Family, friends hope to raise awareness of deadly epidemic

DIXON – Lauren Metzler tearfully recalled how her 28-year-old brother battled an addiction to a pain medication and finally succumbed to an accidental overdose in 2020.

“I lost my brother at 28 years old to fentanyl poisoning,” said Metzler, 34, of Rock Falls, one of several area residents who spoke during the Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery Overdose Awareness event along the Dixon riverfront Thursday evening.

Standing in front of the Reagan fountain along the Rock River, Metzler said her brother, Tevin Shae Rumley, was prescribed the painkiller after he injured his foot in college.

“He didn’t realize that addiction would take his life,” she said.

“He was an athlete. He was the best brother. ... He always had my back,” she said. “But most importantly, his life mattered.”

Julie Rodriquez, 41, of Sterling, told the crowd that she has overdosed several times.

“I am thinking that God has a purpose for me because I should have been dead,” Rodriguez said.

She said she has lost numerous friends to overdose and tainted drugs, and she urged addicts to get help.

“It’s all about recovery now. I am so proud of us now because we are here,” she said. “Addicts don’t need to go to jail, they need help.”

Rodriguez, a member of Better Together, a program through Sinnissippi Centers, said more “fun, sober” events are being planned to help addicts recover.

“If you need help, ask for help,” Rodriguez said. “We’re going to do more fun things for sober events. We are grateful to be alive.”

Marleny Meyers, the outreach coordinator for Sauk Valley Voices for Recovery, said Thursday’s event was organized in conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day.

“We just put this together in a week,” she said.

Ten pairs of empty shoes were displayed along one of the rails above the river with a sign that said: “These shoes are EMPTY as of today! More than 10 people in the state of Illinois DIE of an OVERDOSE EVERY DAY! Please take a moment for those we lost today, tomorrow and the next. It is time to make a CHANGE!”

After the speakers, a two-minute nationwide moment of silence was planned for 8 p.m., with the first minute dedicated to remembering those who have died and the second dedicated to all who are struggling with addiction or who are in recovery. Some attendees also wore purple to the event to show their support for overdose awareness.

Stevie Carney, a recovery coach for Sinnissippi Centers, who also spoke at the event, can be reached at 815-284-6611, ext. 8186.

1 of 10

Lauren Metzler, 34, of Rock Falls, tears up as she speaks about her brother, Tevin Shae Rumley, during a Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery Overdose Awareness event in Dixon on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023. Metzler said her brother, who was 28, died from fentanyl poisoning in 2020 after becoming addicted following a foot injury in college. (Earleen Hinton/Shaw Media)