Picture this: a caring mother heading to wake her son, Jack, aged 19, after what she thought was a late night spent enjoying graduation parties. Initially, he appeared deep in slumber, looking almost angelic. But soon, a chilling discovery unfolded – both Jack and his younger brother, Nick, aged 18, did not wake up again.
The previous day was filled with celebration. Jack and Nick were vibrant young individuals, admired in their community for their excellent academic achievements, community service, and regular church visits. They spent the day bouncing between multiple graduation parties. Meanwhile, their mother, Becky Savage, had escorted them to some events while their father, Mike, enjoyed an outing at the lake with their two younger sons, Matthew and Justin.
As Becky prepared to leave her sons that evening, she gave them a gentle reminder to be home by a reasonable hour. True to their word, the teens returned around midnight, bidding their mother goodnight before settling in. Nick gathered with friends in the basement, while Jack headed upstairs to his room. Becky recalls that moment vividly, telling the Indianapolis Star, “I looked into their eyes as they came through the foyer before they headed to the kitchen for a snack.” Those would be their last interactions together.
The following day, Becky went to awaken Jack for his chores, suspecting nothing amiss until she realized he was utterly unresponsive. Frantically, she screamed for Nick’s help while reaching out 911: “I need your help! Nick! Help!” But Nick didn’t respond, so paramedics were dispatched immediately. Simultaneously, cries for help echoed from the basement, where Nick had been found unresponsive by his friends.
That morning was shrouded in despair, as Becky recollects, “It was just a horrible, horrible morning. It still doesn’t seem real.” Among the frantic discussions, a chilling revelation surfaced: “They experimented last night… with Oxy,” voiced one of Nick’s friends. A bottle of Oxycodone had been introduced at one of the graduation parties, ensnaring the brothers in its dangerous grip.
Desperate and clinging to hope, Becky begged the emergency responders to administer Narcan, a treatment for opioid overdoses, to her boys. Tragically, the intervention came too late. A neighbor had already reached out to Mike, informing him of the terrible news. Heartbroken, Becky delivered the devastating words to him: both of their precious sons were no longer with them.
In reflecting on that fateful day, Mike shares a somber thought: “I often think that I would give up everything for just 10 seconds with them, just 10 more seconds.” The weight of grief lingers heavily on the family, an indescribable sadness they navigate daily.
Determined to transform her grief into purpose, Becky has embarked on a mission to educate other families and their teenagers about the real dangers of experimenting with prescription drugs. Her goal is brutally simple: to prevent others from enduring the pain that her family continues to bear every moment.
What feelings or reactions does this story invoke in you? Take a moment to share this story with your family and friends; raising awareness might save a life.
