Long Island grandmother helping struggling families after losing teenage grandson to drug overdose
ISLIP, N.Y. -- Tuesday marks National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
A grandmother from Long Island's East End is using the heartbreaking death of her grandson to help others shoulder the emotional and economic turmoil caused by the opioid crisis.
"When my grandson passed ... it was such a shock," Paulette Phillipe, of Mattituck, said.
She lost her 15-year-old grandson, Gabriel, to a drug overdose.
"What are we going to do? So we looked at our credit cards, and, you know, do we have enough money? And it was scary," Phillipe told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.
Recently, Phillipe heard of other families who were struggling to deal with loss and unexpected high costs of burial. She reached out to organizations, including the Kenneth Peters Center for Recovery, who jumped aboard to volunteer.
"I was like, oh my god, in 40 years, I have never thought that a family who lost a loved one might not have the resources for even a simple cremation," said Claudia Ragni, with KPC recovery centers.
Many grieving families need financial help because they've emptied bank accounts and exhausted other resources just paying for treatment programs.
Cassidhe Lofaso and Jennifer Cierney shared their relatives' struggles.
"A family member passed away. He ODed on fentanyl on Friday. He was 30 years old," Cierney said.
"His passing was really difficult on our family and realizing, oh my god, what do we do now?" said Lofaso, the cousin of an overdose victim.
With the help of donors and fundraisers, Phillipe and several friends whose sons died from overdoses started Gabriel's Giving Tree.
"We can't think of anything more noble than helping loved ones in their moment of grief put their loved ones to rest," said Steve Chassman, with the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
"It's a trauma when you go through this sudden loss, and to be able to bring the family in and get them some healing," said Claudia Friszell, a volunteer who lost her son to a drug overdose.
"We needed it, and now, if we can provide that, or a little bit, that's what Gabriel's Giving Tree is all about," said Lori Carbonaro, another volunteer who lost a son to drug overdose.
"The way out is to help others," Phillipe said.
Their healing is giving back.