Fentanyl awareness saves lives: Analy to host largest Narcan training ever

This week, West County high schools offer fentanyl awareness programs in partnership with Micah's Hugs

Ian Huffaker, an Analy junior also involved in FFA, saved a pregnant women’s life in the parking lot of Lucky’s supermarket in Santa Rosa this summer. The woman was on the ground, unconscious. Huffaker recognized it as a fentanyl overdose and went to the store to if they had Narcan on hand but they didn’t. Then he recalled that his mother had put a box of Narcan in the glove compartment of their car. He got the Narcan, administered it and saved the woman’s life. His mother, Marissa Taylor-Huffaker, had attended a fentanyl awareness program where she learned about using Narcan to reverse an opioid overdose. She obviously shared the information with her son.

Micah Sawyer, Ian Huffaker and Marissa Taylor-Huffaker (Photos by Dale Dougherty)

Ian Huffaker was introduced by Micah Sawyer of Micah’s Hugs at the West Sonoma County Union High School District board meeting last week. Superintendent Chris Meredith and the Board congratulated Ian. Meredith announced that the District had partnered with Sawyer and his non-profit to organize several fentanyl awareness programs for students on the Analy and Laguna campuses this week and the Board passed a resolution making October Fentanyl Awareness Month. “We have created this partnership with Micah’s Hugs to serve and educate our school community,” said Meredith. “This is just the beginning. Our efforts will not stop, and we, as a District, are grateful to have the support of both Michelle and Micah Sawyer in our efforts to combat the Fentanyl crisis.” Meredith noted that in 2024, in tandem with West County Health, the District offered the first Fentanyl Awareness night

Talking about opioids with students

On Wednesday, Micah and Michelle visited the Laguna campus to speak to students from the Academy of Innovative Arts and Laguna High School.

“Six years ago, I started Micah’s Hugs after my son, Micah Jr., died from a fentanyl overdose,” said Sawyer, talking to the students on Wednesday. “My son was the captain of the Analy football team for two years. I tell you that because the people who are using drugs aren’t necessarily who you think they are.” Micah talked about how his son hid his drug use through high school and perhaps had started as early as middle school. After graduation, he worked for him in construction. “One day he didn’t show up for work and I went looking for him. I found him in bed at a friend’s house and I couldn’t wake him up.” It was then that Micah Jr. told his father that he was smoking heroin.

His son was admitted to various programs, both outpatient and in-patient, but he struggled to overcome his addiction. One day when Micah Jr. was staying at his Mom’s house, Micah got the call that his son was lying in bed, unresponsive. When 911 arrived, he was pronounced dead. The young man had smoked a black powder laced with fentanyl. Sawyer said, “It is impossible to explain the grief over the loss of a child.”

Sawyer and his wife, Michelle, started Micah’s Hugs to create awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and also how a fentanyl overdose can be reversed by using Narcan, a naloxone nasal spray. Micah’s Hugs has distributed over 30,000 doses of Narcan.

Micah Sawyer holding a box of Narcan

Sawyer said that fentanyl is found in “counterfeit pills” that look like over-the-counter pills. They are made in illicit labs and are laced with fentanyl. “Over 90% of the pills off the street contain fentanyl,” he warned.

He told students: “During an opioid overdose, your body relaxes to the point where your lungs stop breathing. Your become unresponsive because of the lack of oxygen to your brain. Blue lips and blue finger tips are also signs.” The Narcan, when administered as a nasal spray, stops opioid receptors in the brain from receiving opioids. There are no side effects from Narcan, but he explained that there are cases where a person required several doses of Narcan before recovering.

Narcan applicator - two of them are inside the box

Sawyer handed out a box of Narcan to each student, asking them to keep it nearby, as it was in the car when Ian Huffaker needed it. Sawyer reminded them that the Narcan allows them to help someone else who is experiencing an overdose. “You might say, I don’t need Narcan because I don’t do drugs, but you don’t know when you might need it to help someone else,” he said.

Micah Sawyer speaking to students in the Performing Arts Center on the El Molino Campus

“The New Drug Talk”

On Thursday at 6 pm at the Analy High School Theater, there will be a screening of a film by Song for Charlie called “The New Drug Talk.” The 20-minute documentary will be followed by a panel discussion, which will include Micah Sawyer, the assistant police chief, and Ian Huffaker. Also on the panel will be Jeremy Kelsay who is a former addict from the Tenderloin in San Francisco. Jeremy now has a nonprofit called Every Eleven Minutes and uses social media (@every11minutes) to tell stories about the impact of fentanyl on people’s lives.

“We are acknowledging Fentanyl Awareness Day on October 16, Micah Jr.’s birthday,” said Meredith.

Setting a Guinness World Record

On Friday at 10 am at Analy, Micah’s Hugs and the entire Analy student body and faculty will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest Narcan training focused on youth overdose prevention and harm reduction. With this gathering of 1,200 students and faculty, Analy High School is the first to host such a large-scale training.

“Getting into schools has been one of our biggest challenges,” said Sawyer. “We know our youth are at risk, yet doors are often closed to us. Analy High School is setting an example—showing that when schools open up to overdose prevention, they empower students to save lives.”

Sawyer said that he’s aware of 14 times that a person like Ian saved a life because of administering Narcan that they got from Micah’s Hugs or other sources.

Narcan on the street

Micah’s Hugs is also working with other organizations to make Narcan available in various place around the county. One approach is to repurpose unused newspaper stands on the street. Here is a photo of such a box outside Sax’s Joint in Petaluma and here is a link to a map of locations. “Together, these efforts honor the life of our son, Micah Jr., and build a safer future for West County youth,” said Michelle Sawyer.

Micah and Michelle with others beside a Narcan distribution box in Petaluma. (Photo by Micah’s Hugs)