M&M Szabo Memorial Fund for Reunited Souls
Donation protected
We lost our son and friend Matthew Szabo unexpectedly on Saturday, June 27, 2020 and our world has been shattered -- again. He was only 23 and meant the world to us. He was all we had left after we lost our 19 year old daughter, Megan on March 30, 2018. Losing her two years ago was unimaginable and soul-crushing, but now we are utterly devastated and heartbroken. However, starting today with your support, we are turning our tragedy into transformation to prevent other families from suffering this ultimate loss.
Our goal is to save lives and to create positive change from tragedy. The money will be used to start an organization whose purpose is to help our struggling youth and their families get the support they need to stop the cycle of addiction.
There is an opioid crisis in America that is killing our youth. According to the CDC, a total of 750,000 people have died from a drug overdose since 1999 (in the past 21 years, since Megan was born). In 2017 alone, 70,000 people died from a drug overdose. In 2018, we lost another 67,367 people to a drug overdose. And, more than 30% of those were 25 or under. Further, opioids are the cause of 70% of those deaths (46,802). Currently, we are losing 184 of our children, siblings and loved ones per day.
Losing a child is the ultimate tragedy. Parents are not supposed to bury their children. The normal, acceptable evolution is for children to outlive and bury their parents. Losing two children to the same crisis is unimaginable and yet this is our reality. This should not be allowed, normalized or accepted.
It is time we take a stand for those who need our help and support and turn loss into legacy. Instead of criminalizing and persecuting them, we need to show compassion and provide the necessary treatment to give them a fighting chance to become productive, contributing citizens in society. Now is the time for action to finally put a stop to this opioid crisis in our country that was created by the very agencies and politicians that are supposed to protect and keep us safe -- more to come on this. With your support, we will do this.
Our goal is to save lives and to create positive change from tragedy. The money will be used to start an organization whose purpose is to help our struggling youth and their families get the support they need to stop the cycle of addiction.
There is an opioid crisis in America that is killing our youth. According to the CDC, a total of 750,000 people have died from a drug overdose since 1999 (in the past 21 years, since Megan was born). In 2017 alone, 70,000 people died from a drug overdose. In 2018, we lost another 67,367 people to a drug overdose. And, more than 30% of those were 25 or under. Further, opioids are the cause of 70% of those deaths (46,802). Currently, we are losing 184 of our children, siblings and loved ones per day.
Losing a child is the ultimate tragedy. Parents are not supposed to bury their children. The normal, acceptable evolution is for children to outlive and bury their parents. Losing two children to the same crisis is unimaginable and yet this is our reality. This should not be allowed, normalized or accepted.
It is time we take a stand for those who need our help and support and turn loss into legacy. Instead of criminalizing and persecuting them, we need to show compassion and provide the necessary treatment to give them a fighting chance to become productive, contributing citizens in society. Now is the time for action to finally put a stop to this opioid crisis in our country that was created by the very agencies and politicians that are supposed to protect and keep us safe -- more to come on this. With your support, we will do this.
Organizer
Liz Pires
Organizer
Santa Rosa, CA