Netflix star Ava Michelle raises awareness on fentanyl crisis after brother's death
'Tall Girl' actress Ava Michelle shares how she lost her brother to fentanyl poisoning.
‘Tall Girl’ actress Ava Michelle lost her brother in February 2021 after he died fentanyl poisoning. Now, the Netflix star is using her loss to raise awareness on the synthetic drug.
On "America's Newsroom" Wednesday, Michelle shared why she decided to use her platform to call out the deadly drug.
"I feel like the best thing that we can do with the hard things that we go through is share them. And I think that social media is such a powerful thing," Michelle said.
Michelle's brother, Devin, passed away in 2021. Since then, Michelle has continued her efforts to call attention to the drug and educate young people on the dangers and prevalence of fentanyl.
One outlet Michelle has used to educate from her platform is social media. She posted a TikTok video after learning of another teenager overdosing on fentanyl, which has gained over 10 million views.
"There's a lot of really bad things that come from social media, but also the awareness and the education that we can gain from it is really, really amazing," Michelle told host Dana Perino.
"So I'm just so grateful because there's so many people who've commented and said that they had no idea and that they learned."
Some of the 15,000 fentanyl pills seized by law enforcement (Connecticut's U.S. Attorney's Office)
While Michelle is focusing her outreach efforts through social media, Michelle also highlighted the Devin Michael Foundation, named after her brother, for using Devin's life to raise awareness on fentanyl and mental health.
"[The Devin Michael] Foundation supports mental health awareness, fentanyl awareness and just supporting individuals through their own addiction journeys or whatever their mental health crisis," Michelle said.
In addition, Michelle shared her brother always wanted to start a clothing line that "meant something that could unify people." After he passed, her family started the clothing line Identified, which also gives a portion of proceeds to the Devin Michael Foundation.
While the heartbreak from losing her brother has not faded, Michelle has embraced her loss as an opportunity for helping others.
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"I just really, really needed to speak out, even though it's hard sometimes."
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