RICHMOND, Va. -- Jill Cichowicz is one of the millions of Americans impacted by the scourge of fentanyl in the United States.
The drug killed Jill's twin brother Scott Zebrowski in 2017. She said Scott became addicted to oxycontin after an injury. He thought he'd gotten a pill from a friend after his prescription was stopped. It turned out to be fentanyl.
"After he died, we heard fentanyl toxicity, and we're Googling it here in Virginia, going, what is fentanyl?" Cichowicz said.
She is now keenly aware of what it is and the dangers it poses. She works to prevent other deaths through her non-profit "2 End the Stigma."
Through her non-profit work, she became involved with another initiative launched earlier this year by Virginia First Lady Suzanne Youngkin.
"I am wholly committed to continuing this conversation because unfortunately, this deadly opioid is a product of our time. So it is our time to step into the gap and save lives," First Lady Suzanne Youngkin said.
The It Only Takes One program launched as a pilot in Roanoke. But Tuesday in Richmond, officials said it will expand statewide with money set aside in the state budget. The program will include targeted social media messaging encouraging families to talk about the drug.
"The issue is so critical across the Commonwealth, it's time for us to go," Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) said. "We have 10 targeted communities that are really the most critical areas, but the whole state is suffering, with Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia being among the most critical."
Chicowicz and other impacted families were on hand when the creation of the Fentanyl Family Ambassador program was also announced.
The program will train families who've lost loved ones to the drug on how to advocate and raise awareness in their communities.
"This is right up our alley," Chicowicz said. "It only furthers our mission and what we want to do, and we hope to get our program in every school across the state and even further, eventually."
In Virginia, fentanyl deaths peaked in 2021 and have been declining ever since.
The latest data from the state showed that 2024 is trending in that direction as well.
To help keep it going in that direction, Chicowicz encouraged all parents to start the conversation now.
"I always tell parents, to open the dialogue. Talk to your children. Don't be scared. It is an awkward conversation. It's more awkward to bury them," she said.
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