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A mother warns of the dangers of the drug by publishing an image of it identifying the body of her son following a fatal overdose.
Nora Sheehan, 56, has lost her 29-year-old son, Andrew Jugler, after taking a lethal dose of xylazine and fentanyl after eight years of fighting addiction.
After her death in October, the courageous mother now publishes an image of her body to try to stop others from taking drugs and raising awareness about the opioid crisis.
"Holding my dead son in my arms, here is the picture of the addiction. That's what's happening, "she said.
The mother in mourning, from Rehoboth Beach, in Delaware, said Jugler's addiction began with oxycontin painkillers in 2010 and progressively progressed to heroin and fentanyl.
Sheehan, an administrative coordinator, feared for her son's life when he joined a community living in the woods in Elkton, Maryland, last summer, as his addiction festered.
Candace Jugler, 38, and Haley Jugler, 30, persuaded Jugler to join a detox program in September, but to no avail.
The 29-year-old mechanic was found dead on October 7, but it took two days for Sheehan to identify the body of his precious son.
"I could not cry before seeing him. Until then, I had hope, "she said.
"They told me to prepare the smell in the room because his body had been out for a while in hot weather.
"It was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to take him in my arms and hug him one last time.
"Andrew was incredibly kind and caring. He was a self-taught mechanic and so loved by us all, his sisters, his niece and his father-in-law.
Sheehan and her husband, Jeffrey, 70, said they lived in constant fear of their son, who had served a prison term in 2011 for breaking and entering.
"For years, I stayed in bed at night and I worried about where he was sleeping.
"When he got into the woods, I asked him if I could buy him a new tent or a new sleeping bag, but he refused." I begged him to go home.
"In September, while I was trying to drive Andrew to a rehab center, he opened the door while my car was traveling at 100 km / h, as if to throw himself outside.
"I stopped the car and started shouting. I asked him at that moment where he wanted to be buried.
Instead of a funeral service, Sheehan and her family decided to hold a memorial service by inviting Jugler's friends, who are fighting homelessness and addiction.
The bereaved mother and her colleagues worked together to make 75 packages of hygiene care products for Jugler's guests and serve her favorite pizza to the congregation.
"We decided to hold a memorial instead of a funeral and we knew it would be important for Andrew to invite people from the homeless community – his friends," Sheehan said.
"My wonderful colleagues at the brewery, along with our family and friends, have created 75 backpacks containing hygiene products for those who came.
"It was so nice to hear the stories that they told me about Andrew.
"Andrew was cremated and we all carry a little piece of him with us in necklaces. I have a box of ashes from his ashes at home.
In the days following her death, Sheehan went to a tattoo studio and Jugler's handwriting was engraved on her forearm.
"It's a combination of two separate letters that Andrew wrote several years ago in prison," Sheehan explained.
"He always signed" Your son, Andrew "or" Your little boy "as if I did not know who he was."
Sheehan hopes that her son's story will connect with other addicts, but especially with community members who are not yet affected by the addiction.
Sheehan did not believe that heroin was a problem in her neighborhood until she entered her life with her son.
According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses have killed more than 72,000 people in the United States in 2017.
Fentanyl claimed the lives of about 29,000 people.
"I never thought that Andrew wanted to die," said Sheehan.
"But with the combination of drugs that he took this last time, he would never have survived.
"I hope that sharing this image will have an impact on drug addicts, but I especially hope that we will stop walking blindly."
"I never thought that heroin and fentanyl were as prevalent in my community as they are." It's an epidemic.
"Many of us do not worry until it comes into our lives."
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