It was a peaceful morning when Becky tried to gently wake her 19-year-old son Jack. Thinking he was just fast asleep after a long night of graduation festivities, she imagined he looked like an angel. However, the peace soon shattered as she realized something was terribly wrong. Beside Jack lay his brother, Nick, aged 18, both unresponsive and tragically departed.
The day preceding this heartbreaking discovery was a jubilant one filled with celebration. Jack and Nick, both model students and active community members, visited several graduation parties. Meanwhile, Becky accompanied them to a few gatherings, while her husband Mike took their younger sons, Matthew and Justin, for a family outing by the lake.
Before parting with Jack and Nick, Becky reminded them of the importance of coming home at a sensible time. True to their word, the boys returned around midnight, bidding their mom a brief goodnight. Nick headed to the basement with friends, while Jack retreated to his bedroom for some rest.
Reflecting on that evening, Becky shared with the Indianapolis Star how she made eye contact with them when they arrived, as they sauntered through the foyer and into the kitchen for a late-night snack. Little did she know, it would be her final memory of them alive.
The subsequent morning brought a nightmare for the Savage family. As Becky attempted to wake Jack for his chores, her world turned dark as she realized he was unresponsive. Desperately calling out, “I need your help! Nick! Help!” her cries for aid were met with silence. Despite her pleas and the arrival of paramedics, there was nothing more to be done.
In the basement, Nick’s friends were also in crisis after finding Nick unconscious. It was a bitter, unimaginable morning for Becky who found herself in a world that suddenly didn’t feel real anymore.
Amid the confusion, a friend of Nick’s disclosed the truth; the boys had experimented with Oxycodone at one of the parties. By the time Becky pleaded with paramedics to administer Narcan, a lifesaving antidote for opioid overdoses, it was tragically too late.
A neighbor delivered the devastating news to Mike, who faced the unimaginable heartache of losing both sons. Reflecting on the loss, Mike expressed a longing shared by parents bereft of their children, “I would give everything for just 10 seconds… just 10 more seconds.”
Now, Becky is on a mission fueled by love and loss—to ensure that others are aware of the peril associated with experimenting with prescription drugs. She hopes to spare other families the indescribable pain she endures daily.
Reflect on this poignant story and consider sharing it with loved ones. Awareness and education can help prevent similar heartaches in other families.
