Fentanyl Awareness Day to return for 5th year

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - In 2021 the Gustavson family was rocked by the sudden death of their son Travis, who died from an accidental fentanyl overdose.

Since then the family has worked to keep Travis’ memory alive through the Travis James Gustavson Foundation, an effort to spread awareness of the dangers of the drug and how it can show up when least expected.

This Sunday will be the fifth year of the Fentanyl Awareness event in Mankato.

It brings together families who have been affected by the drug to share their stories, sharing resources and things like narcan along the way.

For Travis’ family, it brings together a community of people who know each other far too well.

“We can talk to other people and they can say ‘oh I can’t imagine,’ which they cannot. But these families know us, they know our pain so when we get together it’s a comfort to see the other grieving families,” said Travis’ mother Kimberly Lange.

The fight against fentanyl has ramped up and the average number of deaths is overall lower than when Travis lost his life, but the problem is nowhere near solved.

“We’re still seeing the overdoses unfortunately. The community is starting to come together to combat the pandemic that we have I think the awareness is getting out there and people are understanding the effect this is having on our community,” said the commander of the Minnesota River Valley Drug Task Force Chad Ruch.

The awareness event begins at noon this Sunday at Erlandson Park in Mankato.

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