SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A Spokane Valley woman hopes sharing her family’s tragic loss to fentanyl addiction will help other families recognize warning signs and break the silence surrounding substance abuse.
On Tuesday evening, Traci Richmond will participate in a community discussion at the Fox Theatre, nearly five years after her sister Kristin Couture died from fentanyl.
The event, hosted by the Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education and the Rayce Rudeen Foundation, will feature a documentary screening of ‘Fentanyl: Death Incorporated’ and focus on breaking addiction stigma and educating families about early intervention.
“My mom used to call Kristen the sparkplug of our family,” Richmond said. “She was the person that you could be mad at in one breath, and then she’d make you laugh in the next.”
Richmond watched her sister struggle through a decade-long battle with addiction, always maintaining hope for recovery despite knowing the potential outcome.
“I always knew that her rock bottom would likely be her death,” Richmond said. “I just always hoped that was not going to be the case.”
The loss continues to affect Richmond deeply as she navigates life without her sister.
“We were supposed to grow old together, right? We were supposed to raise our kids together,” Richmond said. “We were supposed to do all of those things that siblings do. And now it’s just me. And I miss her every day. I miss who she was.”
Fentanyl continues to claim lives across the Spokane community, making education and awareness efforts increasingly critical. Richmond believes sharing personal stories can motivate community involvement and provide families with tools to identify addiction early.
“I am grateful to the Spokane Alliance for Fentanyl Education and the Rayce Rudeen Foundation for giving the community the opportunity to see this and then hear from people who are working in this area who have lived experience,” Richmond said. “Maybe, just maybe, they’ll take away something that motivates them to get involved as well.”
Richmond acknowledged how addiction can be hidden from family members, making early detection challenging.
“To us, she seemed normal, right? Because that was the side she wanted us to see,” Richmond said. “I think that just the ability to have the conversation about what you should be looking for, what are the signs of early addiction, what are the signs that maybe someone’s not fully addicted, but they’re experimenting? Those are the conversations that I think may have helped us as a family wrap our brains around Kristen’s medical issues a lot sooner.”
The event at the Fox Theater (1001 West Sprague) begins Tuesday with doors opening at 4:45 p.m. Tickets cost $10-15 each. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.foxtheaterspokane.org.
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