Less than a month after her son had passed away, Vanessa Ayala was already planning action to prevent more fatalities and serious injuries.
“It was around prom season, and we wanted kids to make wise decisions,” Ayala said regarding her decision to start reaching out to parents of teens so soon after her son, Noah, passed away from a fentanyl overdose. “We just go and share our story.”
Ayala and consultant and teen safety speaker Stephanie Siete presented to all four classes of Fountain Hills High School students on April 2. Ayala told her family’s story about how Noah died, with Siete presenting nearly an hour’s worth of statistics, health facts and motivations for better choices around drugs and digital communication among teens.
