BRANDON, Fla. – On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., hospitals, law enforcement agencies and community partners in Tampa Bay are participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Drug Take Back Day.
One Tampa Bay mother is sharing the story of her son’s deadly overdose, in hopes of raising awareness ahead of National Drug Take Back Day. On Friday, Tracy Carathanasis spoke at HCA Florida Brandon Hospital to share the story about her son, Drew, who died of an overdose at 18 years old.
The backstory:
Tracy Carathanasis says her son Drew excelled in sports, got good grades in school and was close with his twin brother. She was always very involved in her children’s lives. “From the time he was little, he slept with his hockey gloves on his pillow,” she said. “He always wanted to be the first one at practice, first one at games. He was very conscientious about all his schoolwork. He loved to hang out with his friends.”
Carathanasis says she started to notice a change in Drew when he started his junior year of high school. “He was experimenting with different drugs,” she said. “I was finding pills in his room. He would have little baggies and little baggies of just different, all different pills, and I’d look them up on the internet. Adderall, sleeping pills, cold medicine.”
Carathanasis says she always kept her son’s one prescribed anti-depressant locked up. She made sure she gave him the correct dosage daily.
She says one night in 2015, Drew went on a walk after dinner, but he never came home. “We looked for him all that night and I thought, ‘Well, he’s got to be home at some point’,” Carathanasis said. “The next day was school, and he never would miss school. The next morning, he was not in bed. And I called the police, and they came, did a missing person report, and that day after school, his twin brother came to help me look, and his twin brother found his body in the back of our neighborhood by the train tracks in Westchase. And it was a nightmare.”
Carathanasis says Drew overdosed on anti-depressants. But she didn’t know where her son found more pills.
Her son’s death drives her fight for awareness on National Drug Take Back Day.
Carathanasis joined law enforcement agencies and doctors with HCA Florida Brandon hospital on Friday.
What they’re saying:
“Our officers have dealt with cases where prescription medications left in the home led to devastating outcomes,” Temple Terrace Police Department’s Deputy Chief Chris Mills said. “Situations that could have been avoided with safe disposal.”
The 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Suzy Lopez says many cases in her office stem from substance abuse issues. “These crimes can be driven by desperation and dependency,” Lopez said. “Addiction can destroy a person’s judgment. It can cause them to commit crimes they never imagined.”
Carathanasis says she continues to share Drew’s story as a way to feel a sense of closeness with her son. She also hopes her story can help prevent addiction or overdose from impacting other families. “If you think something doesn’t seem right, is just to really sit and talk it talk to your kid,” she said. “Try not to be mad at them, but try to really understand them.”
What’s next:
National Drug Take Back Day is happening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday at various locations, including HCA Florida Brandon Hospital.  You can find Drug Take Back Day locations in your area here.
The Source: Information for this story came from HCA Brandon Hospital, the Temple Terrace Police Department, and the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office, as well as a Fox 13 interview with Tracy Carathanasis.Â