Family Devastated by Fentanyl Tragedy: A Mother’s Heartbreak After Both Daughters Overdose
In a heartbreaking tale from Memphis, Tennessee, Brenda Diggs now finds herself caring for five grandchildren after losing both of her daughters to fentanyl overdoses within a few short months. The devastation has left her grappling with an unfathomable loss, a situation that has become all too familiar in communities across the nation.
Brenda, speaking with local news outlet WREG, expressed the overwhelming sense of responsibility she feels for her grandchildren, saying, “I’m about all they’ve got, except for their uncles. I just don’t know. It’s mind-boggling.”
Kenia Everette Wooten, Brenda’s eldest daughter, was just 42 when her life was tragically cut short. Despite early struggles, including becoming a teen mother at 15, Kenia had been on a path to recovery. However, after sustaining a severe ankle injury at work, she was prescribed medication that led to an addiction to pills. “She lost her self-esteem,” Brenda recalled, “and I guess she thought building her self-esteem and having sex with guys would make her feel better about herself.”
The turning point came on January 22, 2022, when Brenda received the devastating news of Kenia’s death. “I went in, and lo and behold, Kenia was on the floor. The paramedics were there, but she was dead on the floor,” she recounted, still haunted by that day. The cause: an accidental overdose of fentanyl.
Just three months later, Brenda faced another tragedy when her younger daughter, 34-year-old Keshia Diggs, also fell victim to the same deadly substance. Recently released from prison, Keshia had been battling her own demons. On March 25, 2022, Brenda became alarmed when Keshia failed to return home. A search of her bedroom revealed the unimaginable: “The smell just almost knocked me out,” she said, recounting the horror of finding her daughter unresponsive. Keshia, too, was a victim of an accidental fentanyl overdose.
Brenda’s pain is compounded by the knowledge that the opioid crisis continues to devastate families across the country. David Fuller, an overdose prevention specialist with the Memphis Area Prevention Coalition, emphasized the pervasive threat of fentanyl. “It’s so powerful that once a user becomes addicted to fentanyl, other drugs are not going to cut it because they’re not strong enough,” he stated. Fuller lamented the tragic frequency of such stories, saying, “I wish I could say that that was the first one of those stories that I’ve heard. But it’s absolutely not.”
The increasing prevalence of fentanyl in counterfeit pills and other drugs has caught many users unaware. “They thought they were doing heroin or something else,” Fuller explained, underscoring the urgent need for awareness and prevention.
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