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<\/p>\nSaying the grief is hard to explain, Trakenya Hayes tells WFAA, \u201cif I had to explain the loss in one word – excruciating.\u201d<\/p>\n
FORT WORTH, Texas \u2014 A grieving mother hopes a lifesaving lesson at the Como Community Center can spare other families from the pain she is living with right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fighting through grief and tears, Trakenya Hayes read the last text message she sent to her only son, warning him about the dangers of opioid use.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not gonna make it far in life if you continue down that same path; you keep going down right,\u201d Trakenya Hayes said.<\/p>\n
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On April 22, Hayes received a devastating phone call from her mother about her 21-year-old son, Deonn Moore Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when I answered, she just said, Deonn\u2019s not breathing,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n
Deonn had overdosed, and Hayes said she had an idea of what may have contributed to his death.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I knew prior to, you know, the incident, you know, that he had been taking like ecstasy pills and Percocet every now and then,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n
In the same string of text messages she sent Deonn, Hayes shared how she encouraged her son to get help to help beat his addiction. They were close, especially since he favored her in looks. Family photos show Deonn enjoying life despite his struggles with addiction and his mother\u2019s pleas for him to stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe liked to play on his game, and here recently, his favorite thing to do was to spend time with his son,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n
Now, just months after her son\u2019s death, Hayes is learning how to use naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose.<\/p>\n
The training at the Como Community Center is part of a two-year Fort Worth city grant. Dr. Teresa Wagner with the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine\u2019s Department of Public Health is teaching people how to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany times, if someone\u2019s having an overdose, you are hesitant, or you get scared, and you don\u2019t want to take action,\u201d Dr. Wagner said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Wagner is an associate professor in the Department of Health Administration and Health Policy at the UNT Health Fort Worth Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is a nationally recognized health literacy expert and directs the UNT Health State Certified Community Health Worker Training Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her work focuses on helping people better understand health information and improving access to care, particularly in underserved and rural communities. Her research also addresses health disparities, patient safety, and opioid use and misuse.<\/p>\n
“I carry it, and I\u2019ve had it for some time, because I was educated back in 2019 at UNT Health, where I (worked) when I was a student. Now I\u2019m faculty, and now I\u2019m getting out there and educating people,” Dr. Wagner said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I haven\u2019t ever had to use mine, but I have it if I need it. So definitely better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”<\/p>\n
The Naloxone class is free to Como area residents, thanks in part to Dr. Sandra Stanley, a longtime Lake Como resident and community advocate who founded Opening Doors for Women in Need, a Fort Worth nonprofit focused on empowering women and helping people build more stable, self-sufficient lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Stanley works to address food insecurity through the Como Community Garden, where fresh produce is made available to residents.<\/p>\n
For Hayes, the training carries a deeply personal meaning. She wears a photo of Deonn as a baby around her neck. She said holding the picture helps her through the hardest moments of her grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hold it. Sometimes when I\u2019m feeling sad,\u201d Hayes said.<\/p>\n
Now she hopes learning how to use Narcan can help prevent another family from experiencing the loss she knows all too well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had to explain the loss in one word, excruciating,\u201d Trakenya Hayes said.<\/p>\n