'I love you, son'; Fentanyl deaths leave family members searching for answers
SAN FRANCISCO -- Every day, 136 people across the country die from an opioid overdose according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the United States. It's ripping apart families as they cope with tragedy.
Building homes has been in Paul McGregor's DNA for generations. He learned the craft from his father while growing up in San Francisco. His small business has developed nearly 100 homes.
But these days, McGregor chooses to work alone.
The 65-year-old contractor controls each aspect of construction from foundation to roof. There's a comforting cadence to hammering and fastening each piece by piece.
It's a short drive from his job site, to a place where McGregor and his son Aaron loved to spend time together, surfing and splashing in the frigid waters off Miramar Beach. When he comes here now, he's reminded of how quickly the tides turn, and how life can too.
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"My life will never be the same. It sucks," said McGregor.
It's a never-ending, gut-wrenching inner battle for a parent who wonders if there's anything he could have done differently to help a child fight the destructive, devouring demons of opioid addiction. Fighting back tears over a life that ended too soon, McGregor longs for closure, but how can a parent ever truly say goodbye?
In California, the drug overdose death rate is more than three times higher than its homicide rate. Aaron Christopher McGregor died at the age of 28 during a relapse, after battling addiction and going to rehab for years.
McGregor found his son hunched over in his room on April 23, 2019.
"I started doing compressions for what seemed like an eternity," said McGregor. Essentially he died in my arms. I'll never forget it. It doesn't go away. It's just etched in my mind. I wish no parent would have to go through this."
Like many other families, the McGregors want prosecutors to get tougher on fentanyl dealers by pushing for more prison time and eliminating certain plea deals offering social services to avoid conviction.
That's not to say parents like him are simply victims without regrets.
"This is very hard for me to do this. I just want people to understand they need to keep an eye on their kids, the people they hang out with," said McGregor.
The dream home he built for his family is forever missing a piece of its foundation. Families like the McGregors are still painfully searching each day.
"I wake up in the morning and you are not there," said McGregor.
Countless others will soon begin that agonizing journey.
"I love you, son," said McGregor
Cities like San Francisco are in the midst of the crisis. There have been nearly twice as many fatal drug overdoses - tallying more than 1,600 lives - compared to COVID-19 deaths since January of 2020.
City officials say fentanyl is the primary culprit. The CDC also says the number of drug overdose deaths has quadrupled since 1991.
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are now the most common drugs involved in drug overdose deaths in the country according to the CDC.