Everyday Hero: Breaking Fentanyl's deadly grip
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)—Nexstar is raising awareness of a critical crisis: the fentanyl epidemic in our country.
One woman who is leading the charge is tragically familiar with how dangerous and deadly this drug can be.
'I hate to say this because we're all part of a club that we didn't want to join and we can never leave,' said Angela Kennecke.
Kennecke is a former news anchor who worked in South Dakota and lost her daughter Emily to fentanyl poisoning nearly seven years ago.
'My daughter took heroin that she didn't know was laced with fentanyl and died,' Kennecke explained. 'I was just a few days away from holding an intervention when this happened. I just, I'm devastated to this day. I'm devastated.'
In honor of her daughter, Angela founded Emily's Hope. A nonprofit dedicated to breaking the stigma of substance use disorder, raising awareness, and increasing access to life-saving resources.
'I just really want to see this horrible epidemic come to an end. At least it is slowing or decreasing in many areas of the country,' Kennecke said.
But not decreasing enough. On average, 240 people die each day in this country from drug overdose. Fentanyl is everywhere and doesn't discriminate.
'It's cheap. It's easy. It creates a really effective high, and it really knows no socio-economic boundaries,' Kennecke said. 'Like people think, 'Oh, that couldn't happen to your daughter because she had all these privileges and all this stuff going for her, but it can really happen to anybody.'
So, Kennecke and Nexstar are doing something about this crisis on Sunday.
They are airing a special featuring a powerful roundtable discussion with parents who have lost a child to fentanyl poisoning or overdose, for Angela, a great opportunity to bring attention to this critical issue.
'I always say, I'm trying to work myself out of a job, I'm trying to end the problem. I'm trying to end something,' Kennecke said. 'And we are seeing the numbers go in the right direction. I think because some of the stigma has been reduced. We have more education. We have much more access to the life-saving drug Naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose.'
And as a former news anchor, Kennecke appreciates Nexstar joining her in this fight.
Be sure to tune in for an in-depth look at this health emergency and some of the innovative strategies being used to tackle the deadly fentanyl crisis with our special program, Next Generation: Breaking Fentanyl's Grip. It airs March 30 at 7 p.m. right here on News 2.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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