CLEVELAND – Cathy Lawley of Willoughby Hills said her life changed forever after she lost her son, 31-year-old Michael Biellow, to drugs on March 23, 2020.
Lawley issued a warning to all parents after Cuyahoga County reported an increase in drug deaths and encouraged them to sit down and talk to their children or loved ones about the dangers of a rapid peak.
“We have just started a paradigm shift, it is no longer an overdose of heroin, and I want to emphasize that,” Lawley said.
“He unknowingly got fentanyl and carfentanil. Fentanyl is a sedative for elephants.”
“Your kids may be going out because they have an addiction issue, but they can also just go to a party with other people and talk about how they can get a highlight once in a while.”
“These are not overdoses, these are children who think they are going to get something going, and that they are not getting anything higher, but that they are dying.”
Cuyahoga County Medical Investigator Thomas Gilson issued a public health warning on April 6, saying Cuyahoga County had suffered at least 69 deaths in March from overdose.
Gilson told News 5 that if deaths continue at this rate, Cuyahoga County could once again prevent more than 700 deaths from overdose. The last time Cuyahoga County suffered more than 700 deaths was in 2017. In addition, in the first five days of April, 13 overdose deaths occurred.
A significant proportion of deaths are attributed to fentanyl and carfentanil
Local agencies such as the ADAMHS Council of Cuyahoga Province and the MetroHealth System Office of Opioid Safety said the alarming increase in drug-related deaths is encouraging them to seek out families.
Beth Zietlow-DeJesus, ADAMHS Director of Foreign Affairs, told News 5 that families should be vigilant about the signs of drug use and addiction.
“It’s no statistic, it’s people, it’s brothers, sisters, parents, children,” Zietlow-DeJesus said. “If a group exists, as we see it now, it’s just tearing us apart.”
“The person suffering from a drug use disorder has a chronic brain disease, they need medical treatment, counseling and care to get better.”
“Seek mysterious behavior, be very defensive, irritated and angry.”
Kelly Cioletti, social work coordinator at the MetroHealth System Office of Opioid Safety, said News 5 is available, along with the Enrollment Outreach Unit, located at West 25th Street in Cleveland, across from the MetroHealth Outpatient Pavilion. Cioletti says free Narcan kits and Fentanyl test strips are available Monday through Friday through its Project DAWN program.
“We are literally available 24/7,” Cioletti said. “You do not have to have an ID, you do not have to use, you can be a family member or a friend.”
“In the past, everyone thought it was a drug in the city, and it just isn’t anymore.”
“It’s scary, it’s scary, you feel for the families involved and unfortunately have to bury a loved one.”
Meanwhile, Lawley helped form ‘APALD’, which stands for Association of People Against Lethal Drugs. According to Lawley, the organization will hold a rally in the 30 cities in the province on June 4 for the change, which will spread awareness and advocate the legislative change in the war on synthetic drugs. According to the CDC, 81,000 died in 2020.
Lawley said she does everything she can in honor of her son, as a way to help families save their loved ones.
“I would tell him I love you more than you will ever know, and I hold you in my heart every day and I am your voice,” Lawley said.
“I know he wants me to keep going, and keep trying, and just not keep quiet until my voice is heard.”