(WXYZ) — The Fentanyl Fathers are channeling their loss into prevention — visiting local schools and sharing their stories in hopes of protecting other families from the danger they know too well.
Watch Meghan Daniels' video report below:
For Robert Branner, the pain never fades. His daughter, Destiny, was just 21 when fentanyl took her life.
"My life is not the same without her. Destiny was very vibrant. She was a daddy's girl," Branner said.
He remembers the moment everything changed.
"We went to the hospital, seeing, seeing my baby up there lifeless. And it just, it just crushed me," Branner said.
Stories like this — and like co-founder Greg Swan's — are at the heart of this grassroots movement. Greg and his wife received the call that is every parent's worst nightmare: their son passed away from an overdose.
For Greg, advocacy is both purpose and survival.
"Getting out and advocating gets me out of bed, gets me engaged, and gives purpose to Drew's passing. Otherwise I'd be hopeless," Swan said.
Fentanyl Fathers' mission caught the attention of the Trump administration. The men were invited to the White House earlier this week as President Trump signed the HALT Act — classifying fentanyl as a Schedule I drug and allowing for harsher penalties for trafficking and distribution.
"We know statistically kids are going to pass away. We have an opportunity to stop it by getting in and warning them. We are prevention, education," Swan said.
Amber Lynn Johnson is also a member of Fentanyl Fathers. She lost her sister, Erica Anne, to a single pill she thought was safe.
"She was a beautiful human being... she was such a vibrant, beautiful lady," Johnson said.
"She was an A student. She was a certified nursing assistant, had a passion for life and she loved children," Johnson said.
The Fentanyl Fathers visit schools across the area to spread the message of the dangers of the drug. On Thursday they visited Frontier International Academy in Detroit. The impact is already clear.
"I see my mom, and I see how much she loves me, and I think there's some parents that love their children just as much as my mom loves me, and they'll never get to see them again," said Yahya Nagi, a sophomore at Frontier International Academy.
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