jodiestevensshow
jodiestevensshow
We Lost Our Son—Now We’re Fighting to Save Yours (Ep. 187)
We Lost Our Son—Now We’re Fighting to Save Yours (Ep. 187)
We Lost Our Son—Now We’re Fighting to Save Yours (Ep. 187)
Friday 27th March 2026
Emmy-nominated filmmakers Kay and Murray Sumner share their son’s opioid story, the fentanyl crisis, stigma, faith, and real hope for families.
39 minutes
Inspiring
Honest
Informative
Hopeful
Authentic
About this podcast
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jodiestevensshow
Overview:
Categories:
Sobriety Toolkit
Understanding Addiction & Recovery
Family Recovery from Addiction
Creative Recovery Journeys
Empowering Recovery Journeys
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Get the buttons here!Turning Grief into Action: Parents, Opioids and the Fight to Save Other Kids
Episode Overview
- Addiction and fentanyl-related deaths can affect any family, regardless of background, wealth or faith.
- Stereotypes about “drug addicts” hide the reality that many are sensitive, gifted and outwardly high-functioning people.
- Parents need honest, one-on-one conversations with their children and better education about current drug risks.
- Stigma in churches and communities keeps people silent; talking openly about substance use and mental health is vital.
- Hope exists through a mix of spiritual support, community, appropriate medical help and emerging treatments that reduce cravings.
I would like to break out of this stupid fantasy that it's only the bad guys, the bad kids, the partiers. It's not at all.
What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This conversation on Genuine Life Recovery centres on Kay and Murray Sumner, Emmy-nominated filmmakers and grieving parents, who lost their son Josh, a gifted jazz musician, to an opioid overdose and then poured their pain into the documentary *Survivors*.
You’ll hear them share how Josh went from a sensitive, generous child and talented sax player to someone who tried heroin once after being told it would make him a better musician, and stayed hooked for seven years. They describe his desperate attempts to get off suboxone, the move home for a “safe” fresh start, and the heartbreaking relapse that ended his life when fentanyl-laced heroin proved fatal.
The chat doesn’t just recount tragedy; it looks squarely at how opioids and fentanyl cut across age, class and “good family” status. Kay and Murray challenge the stereotype of “the drug addict in the alley” and stress that addiction can hit high-achieving kids, church families, and seemingly stable homes.
They talk about parents and churches looking away, the stigma that keeps people silent, and the uncomfortable truth that many would rather avoid the topic than face how close it might be. There’s also talk of hope: real recovery stories from the film, spiritual support, honest conversations in families, and emerging medical tools that reduce cravings.
Jodie and the Sumners highlight addiction as a spiritual and emotional wound as much as a physical one, stressing the need for both practical help and a deeper connection with God or a higher power. If you’re a parent, a person in recovery, or someone who’s lost a loved one, this episode offers hard truths, tender memories and a clear message: this can happen to anyone, and silence won’t keep anyone safe.
Are you ready to talk about it in your own family?