Family encourages others one year after loved one died from overdose

SNYDER, Okla. (KSWO) – August 31 is International Drug Overdose Awareness Day.

It is also the day that Snyder resident Dawayne Morris died of a fentanyl overdose.

After the loss, Morris' sister Crystal Marroquin and his mother Faye Dwyer began to use Dawayne's story to explore addiction and search for support groups and resources.

“He loved sports, my son loved sports,” Dwyer said. “He loved his sister, his little sister, he took care of her for years. Many, many years.”

Dwyer says his path to addiction began with an accident in 1996.

“He stayed in the hospital and intensive care for a week, then he was discharged and given opioids,” she explained.

The path, as his sister Crystal says, was full of ups and downs.

“There were times when he was so well behaved and clean, but he always went back,” she remembers.

“I kept going back,” her mother repeated.

“And we now know that it was an illness and not a choice,” Marroquin explained.

Dwyer says she's tried tough love, but wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

“Everyone suggests that, but I don't suggest it,” she said. “We missed a lot of memories with him.”

“We did it out of self-preservation and tried to protect ourselves, without realizing that we were also hurting his heart,” Marroquin said.

Both say they want to spark debate in southwest Oklahoma and gather support for those who have lost loved ones to – often stigmatized – overdoses.

“Nobody wants to talk about it, it's a stigma. Nobody wants to talk about it. It will never happen to me until it happens,” Marroquin said.

“Psst. We want to open this space to people like us. We are here to help and support,” Dwyer said.

While they are still learning, they want to impart knowledge to others that they did not have before.

“We wanted to help because we had no help and didn’t understand anything,” Dwyer explained.

Crystal gives advice to addicts and their families.

“If you are a family member of someone who is feeling bad, don't give up on them, and if you are feeling bad yourself, just remember that a sober date is better than a gravestone date, and that your family loves you,” she said.

The family will speak about resources and support at the 14th annual Fall Festival on Oct. 5 in Snyder.

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