Opioid addiction tragedy drives Sebastopol couple to help others through 'Micah's Hugs'
A Sebastopol couple's fight against drug addiction is personal, and they are channeling their own family's grief into helping others avoid the same fate.
Micah and Michelle Sawyer share their family's painful journey. Micah's son, Micah Jr., was hooked on heroin for years.
But you wouldn't know it if you looked at his achievements.
"He was an amazing person. He was captain of the football team two years in a row. He broke weightlifting records while was struggling with addiction," said Sawyer.
In college, Micah Jr.'s addiction landed him on the streets. He went into rehab and stayed clean for half a year before relapsing. He died at age 22 of a fentanyl overdose.
Today, Micah Sr. and Micah Jr's stepmother Michelle are turning their grief into good. After Micah's death in 2019, the Sawyers founded Micah's Hugs to fight drug addiction.
The nonprofit is named for the young man's bear hugs.
"At his funeral, everyone commented about how they're going to miss those big hugs, so what better-fitting organization name than Micah's Hugs," said Michelle.
The couple has applied for state grants to obtain thousands of boxes of naloxone, the overdose-reversing drug known by the brand name Narcan. They distribute and train people on how to use the life-saving treatment.
Recently, the Sawyers are at Homeless Action Sonoma, just one of the dozens of Narcan distribution and training events the pair has led in the Bay Area over the last year in Micah Jr.'s memory.
"Sometimes I get a lot of anxiety built up, and I have to calm down a little bit because I think of him a lot when I do these trainings," said Micah Sr. "Sometimes it gets overwhelming, but in the end, it's a really good way to think of him and think of him in a positive way."
In addition, the husband and wife team works to break the stigma of drug addiction, taking part last year in a Memorial Poster Project at the National Mall to show the faces of the opioid crisis.
The Sawyers also have also provided 30 scholarships to give people a fresh start in a sober living environment.
Annie Falandes of Homeless Action Sonoma says the pair is making a difference.
"They're so brave to tell their story over and over again," she said. "They inspire me because they save lives."
"If we could save one person's life, we'd consider it a success," said Micah, Sr.
Michelle says Micah, Jr. would have approved of Micah's Hugs.
"He helped everyone, so knowing that we're helping people, that part of it, he'd really be proud of," she affirmed.
The couple's community service includes volunteering with Catholic Charities and Sonoma County 4H. They also provide food and clothes for the homeless.
They're now producing a movie about Micah's story for their drug prevention work among middle and high school students.
So for creating Micah's Hugs to fight drug addiction, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Micah and Michelle Sawyer.
