The Fentanyl Crisis: Stories of Heartbreak and Hope

The Fentanyl Crisis: Stories of Heartbreak and Hope explores the devastating impact fentanyl continues to have on families and communities across Virginia, where the synthetic opioid remains a leading cause of overdose deaths. According to the Virginia Department of Health, fentanyl was involved in 76% of the state’s overdose deaths in 2021.

Through interviews with grieving families, recovery advocates, medical professionals, and people with lived experience, the documentary examines the dangers of fentanyl-laced drugs, the emotional toll of overdose loss, and the growing efforts to raise awareness about a crisis many believe is still not receiving enough attention. Alongside stories of heartbreak are stories of recovery, support, and hope from organizations working to help individuals and families affected by addiction.

"It’s important to get the message across that fentanyl is in different types of drugs and it’s being laced in things. It’s something that needs to be out into the world, that this is happening and it’s not an overdose as some of the signs say, it’s poisoning. People are being poisoned by this."

"When they’re taking heroin or prescription pills or anything like that, the half-life is really, really short. It gives them a quick high and then they come crashing down and they need another hit to keep going."

"It was a fatal crossroads for Joey Travieso as depression set the stage of his tragic overdose. [Kimberly Griffin] heals through Joey’s Heart, a non-profit buoyed by inspirational children’s books she authored … and her magazine inspired by Joey’s challenges, Bully. It is motivational stories about people sharing their testimonies and how they overcame the challenges in life."

"When I was about 15, that’s when I really started using pills and drinking. It really wasn’t a problem until I turned 17 and that’s when I was pretty much using daily – benzos and opiates. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I started using heroin and I kind of fell in love with that. I continued to use heroin for almost 10 years."

"You can say Jan Brown and her SpiritWorks Foundation Center for the Soul helped saved Bellamy’s life … A big part of what we do is provide recovery support services so that whatever the outcome or whatever it is along the journey that somebody is having, we can be a supportive community for that family or for that mom or for that child."

"Dr. Paul Hardy runs Recovery for Life in Virginia Beach – treatment through group and individual counselling that focuses on the mind and heart."