Today we’d like to introduce you to Malia Fox.
Hi Malia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
On Aug. 2, 2022, at 9:30pm I was in bed on the last days of a round of COVID. The phone is ringing and it’s my oldest grandson asking me “Grandma, what is Abbey talking about? Is it true?” I am confused and annoyed and tell him that I’m sick and in bed. He apologizes and says, “Grandma, she’s saying Dad is dead”. I don’t remember the ride to town 13 miles away. He was gone on his kitchen floor, with no one around. My Google guy. My McGuyver with sincere anxiety, who had a great fear of dying alone. No more 24/7 talk texts. No more giggles over silly things, I couldn’t do the way he did – cook. No more, “I love ya momma. Please don’t die before me cuz I don’t know what I’d do without you”. Josh was gone.
7 weeks later and a telephone returned, his case is closed. Lack of evidence. Although someone was claiming to have “hot-shotted” Josh, and it was recorded on a jail phone. I know Josh was poisoned by fentanyl. His death cert reads: accidental death by methamphetamine and fentanyl. His toxicology report shows 39ng fentanyl. I did not know Josh had relapsed to his DOC from 12 years ago. I knew COVID was a stressor on him he thought it comical that “the rest of you would find out what my life is like all the time”. The inability to make connections with other humans. Systems failed to assist with these traumas and stressors in his life.
Due to his words to me 2 weeks prior to his death, that “people were dying of fentanyl and no one was talking about it”, I realized that was my direction. My need. Their need. Someone had to talk about this. That began my venture into a nonprofit. With two other local “angel” moms, we formed our nonprofit, RIPple Drug Education & Awareness. Our goals are to educate, bring awareness to the community, provide harm reduction to save lives, work with law enforcement and emergency services for a better understanding of persons with lived experience and persons who use drugs, and support those in recovery.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not smooth, at all. It’s life.
There is so much stigma attached to this area of humanity. Its a struggle at times to have so much passion and need to change something so deadly. A thing that is wiping out an entire generation. Yet, the powers above continue to ignore and “ghost” you when you attempt to bring them in with education, awareness and for their support.
Social media can be daunting with the people hiding in the comfort of their home behind a computer screen making their pointless, hurtful comments around stigma and uneducated thoughts about your loved one or the latest casualty.
Daunting when you’re bringing the realities to the table amidst your grief and you’re ignored or worse told that they fear your “program will be traumatic for the participant” or “based on emotion and not factual”.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I had a 40-year career in older adult services. I am a music therapist by degree. I re”fired” on June 1, 2022, thinking I’d wait a year, play around, and figure out what my next “gig” might be. Josh determined that, for me, a short two months later, with his prophetic words of “no one is talking about it”. After 3 months of lying in my bed in a fetal position, I knew I had to scream the truth to the world.
Because my work was largely in government, I understand that culture. I also understand I’m not a slave to them any longer. If they won’t listen or help, my tenacity to get it done kicks in and I find another way.
I am connected to thousands of people who are in this same club that no one ever asked or desired to join. We are the grievers of child loss, coupled with stigma. I am an administrator of the Drug Epidemic Memorial virtual wall. (wall.drugepidemicmemorial.org) We have over 10,000 angels lost to drug incidents across the US and the world. We are currently working on the National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Aug. 20 & 21 in Times Square, NYC, with a special memorial to our co-founder who recently died in a tragic pedestrian/vehicle accident while in Oaxaca, MX. Our virtual wall plays in the offices daily at the ONDCP. It is a daily reminder of who has been lost to illicit substances and how they must work to save others from the epidemic.
I am on the board of the PAARI Lived Experience Council (Police Assisted Addiction Recovery Initiative). Last year, I spoke in Tampa, FL, on our newly developed Compassionate Death Notification that we had created for law enforcement to understand the needs of loved ones when a death occurs from illicit substances and police are responding and making the calls to family.
My local nonprofit educates in middle, high school and universities throughout the school year. We’ve expanded into Goodhue County and in Trempealeau County in WI. We are becoming known across two states and are requested for other school presentations. We are the sole providers of naloxone throughout Winona, MN and Goodhue County (MN). We have contracts with MN DHS and WI DHS to place naloxone in little libraries and dispensers. We utilize the recovery community as volunteers in this endeavor. They, more than anyone feel the effects of this atrocity. I buried my precious, eldest child. They have buried dozens. It is personal. Its almost like a survivors guilt. We provide awareness by tabling at county fairs, neighborhood parties or anywhere we are asked. We recently began a program of leave-behind kits for emergency rooms and EMS. The kits are given to overdose patients at the hospital or upon an emergency call-out. They contain naloxone, test strips, CPR mouth barrier and many resources for support. We are just now working with the recovery community, as they are reaching out to us with their assistance. They have much to offer and we want to see them succeed.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
That grief is proof of the love I possess.
That persons who use drugs for their pain (emotional, physical, spiritual) are some of the kindest, loving, gifted, talented and amazing people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rippledrugeducationawareness.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557457173410
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ripple645
