Hi, I’m Raquel, owner of Simply Beans. For years, my son Tanner, the sweetest, most compassionate, loving human, struggled with drug addiction. My son was in and out of jail and drug treatment centers, which I feel a lot of addicts tend to struggle with. The treatment centers were like a band-aid, he would do really well for the first 30 days but as soon as the weight of the world came down on his shoulders, he couldn’t handle the stress and would relapse. Even worse, Tanner would end up on the streets. There were many nights that I would stay up worrying, trying to find him so I could put him in a hotel just to keep him out of the cold or try to talk him into coming home. Sadly, when he was in jail it was a relief, which may sound strange to some, but I knew he had a warm meal, a roof over his head, and would not be using drugs.
When my son was sober he was gentle, kind, and loving. When he was using he was angry, hostile, and had a grudge against the world. We would have long talks where he would tell me how much he hated his drug use and didn’t want to depend on them. He hated them and himself when he was at their mercy but the opioids were the only way he knew how to deal with the stress of life. Recently, Tanner had undergone drug treatment in Pennsylvania, where he was currently living. He had finally found a great NA group, was sober, and again his beautiful, kind self. We hadn’t seen him in almost two years after he moved from Utah to Pennsylvania, our entire family missed him terribly, so I asked if I could fly him out to Utah to spend some time with him and he accepted. He came out for a week in August of 2020, he was sober, healthy, full of life and gratitude, and everything felt right. I tried talking him into staying but he had obligations that required him to return to Pennsylvania.
He finally had his priorities straight and wanted to complete his probation and drug treatment and do things the correct way. A few months went by and I had a feeling that Tanner may have relapsed, something was not right and I hoped he was not back to his old ways. On October 22, 2020, that dreaded call came that no mother should ever receive, Tanner, my baby boy had overdosed. The opioids he had purchased were laced with fentanyl, a strong and deadly additive they use that is inexpensive. I will never feel the same, a hole that can never be filled. This loss has brought me and his brothers and sisters a low and deep sadness that will remain with us forever.
My coffee roasting company had been in the works before his unexpected and tragic passing. Now, I hope to use it as a tool to help me on my mission to make sure that there is prevention education. Simply Beans will donate a portion of all proceeds to FDC Prevention Works, part of the Hazeldon Betty Ford Foundation, A Global Non-Profit Substance Abuse Prevention Organization that is worldwide. Drug addiction is a national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare. According to the CDC, over 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States in the 12 months ending in May 2020, the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period. I feel as though every child deserves the knowledge and tools to feel confident in saying NO to drug use. Even if it only saves one child from this drug epidemic and from becoming just another statistic, then I will consider it a success.
Please, join me in this fight to help OUR children during this drug epidemic and trying times.