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Mom shares story of son’s overdose in hopes of helping others

ANDERSON, Ind. (WISH) — Time does not always heal all.

“They say time heals everything, and I don’t agree with that, not at all,” that’s coming from a mom who had to put angel wings in honor of her son on a bedroom wall.

“Dustin was my first born, he was born December 23rd, 1988. I was still in high school and I was a proud mom,” said Mary Randol.

Her first born became a brother, was in the National Guard and eventually had a child of his own.

“And somewhere along the way, he lost his way, and he got into drugs, started off with like marijuana and then it went to pills and that’s where I thought it ended,” she said.

But then she noticed things missing from her home.

“I lost it ya know, and I basically told him that I loved him, but he couldn’t stay with us anymore and that he had to leave. Today, I regret that because a few months later, is when he passed away,” she said.

It’s a heroin overdose that she says caused him to get sepsis.

“Which took over in his brain, in his heart and in his liver,” said Randol, “Dustin lost his battle and went to heaven and I made him a promise on his bed that I would do whatever it took to help somebody, whether it be one person, a thousand people and I’m gonna do that.”

By sharing the impact, the death of her son, a brother and father, has had on her family.

“Not only Dustin’s story but my story, my kids story, because it doesn’t affect just the addict, it affects the family and I think if more people understand and educate themselves, they won’t look at them as druggies. They’re not druggies, they’re humans and their life matters and it’s a disease and they need help. I just wish I realized prior, but through Dustin, more people are going to get help,” said Randol.

She’s been sharing her story at Heroin Anonymous meetings in Anderson that take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Chapter House.

“I’m not ashamed that my son died from drugs and I want that to be told, I will never be ashamed of my son. He made a bad choice and unfortunately, it ended up taking his life, but his bad choice might be able to save somebody else,” said Randol.

It’s a mother’s mission to change lives as time goes on.