On International Overdose Awareness Day, Families Speak : 'I Wouldn't Want My Worst Enemy To Join This Club'

LONG ISLAND, NY — It's been more than 14 years since Paul Maffetone was last able to see and speak to his beloved brother Michael, who died at 29 in 2012 after overdosing in the bathroom of their family's Laurel home.

Fourteen years, but the pain and agony of loss are always just a heartbeat away.

To mark International Overdose Awareness Day, Patch returned to speak with the families who have been profiled in past stories — families who have opened their hearts and shared their most gripping truths, to shine a light on the nightmare of addiction and the eternal grief that echoes after a fatal overdose.

Michael Maffetone, 29

Speaking with Patch, Maffetone reflected on what he would say to his brother, if he could only see him, just one more time.

"If I could talk to my brother right now about my life, I'd want to tell him how my wife Kristina and I named our firstborn after him — Michael Anthony Maffetone, II," he said. "I'd tell him how crazy the world has gotten and that Wu-Tang is back on tour. I'd tell him that life is doing what life does. It's been 14-and-a-half years since you left us."

Thinking back on the years and months, minutes and seconds since that dark day, Maffetone gave voice to a pain time cannot erase.

"It still feels like yesterday that it happened," he said. "My life has never been the same. My wife, and now my children, have brought joy back into my life, and a purpose — but there's always a piece that is just broken."

Maffetone said he gets especially upset when he sees or hears of siblings that don't talk, or of those that take one another for granted.

"I wish I had my brother," Maffetone said. "I wish my children had their Uncle Maff. I am dreading the day that I have to explain why Uncle Michael isn’t here."

Maffetone said he has his brother’s ashes in a teddy bear. "Recently, my oldest Michael was asking about it, so I had a talk with him about how the teddy bear was his Uncle Michael and that is who he got his name from."

He added: "He’s still a little too young to understand but it was a moment that hit hard — when he became drawn to the bear and was asking questions."

And yet, there is a sense of joy, too, to one day share memories of his brother, with his own children, he said.

There are just so many moments that his brother should "have been here for — and should be here for, especially now with our boys," he said. "I’ve said it from the beginning: I was born into this world as a second child, and at 23 years old I had to learn to live as an only child. I don’t know if you ever figure that out. And it’s a journey that, unless you’re on it, you don’t understand — and I wouldn’t want my worst enemy to join this club.."

To his brother, Maffetone had a message from deep within his heart: "Just know I miss you and I love you forever!"

Penny Maffetone, Michael and Paul's mother, has also shared her enduring pain with Patch: "It's the most devastating thing I have ever been through, losing my firstborn son to this horrible epidemic," Maffetone told Patch in a past interview.

In the years since, the Maffetone family has fought tirelessly to raise awareness — but the echo of their loss resounds.

Hallie Rae Ulrich, 22

September 7 will mark nine years years since Hallie Rae Ulrich, 22, died of a heroin overdose, her body found on the side of the road in East Hampton in 2017.

And in the long, heartbreaking years since the unthinkable loss, newsman Drew Scott, Hallie Rae's grandfather, has devoted his life to fighting addiction. He served as co-chair of the Southampton Opioid Addiction Task Force and also created a task force in Islip. He also created a foundation, formed to award scholarships and continue education and training on the East End.

"I just want her life to mean something and help others," Scott has said.

Despite the tragic circumstances of her death, her bright smile and beautiful life will leave a forever mark on the many who loved her, family and friends have long said.

The best way to remember their talented, smiling girl is in her own words, her family said. The following is an excerpt from her college essay to Pratt Institute, where she was studying illustration:

"For as long as I can remember, I have loved to draw. When I was young, I was encouraged to be creative. My sister and I used to draw on the walls of my childhood bedroom," she wrote. "We created a whole world on those walls. We would add to it throughout the years, especially on rainy days. As we grew older, the drawings became more detailed, more realistic, and always imaginative. Through my experiences of making art throughout my life, I’ve learned that there is a real beauty in the ability to draw. I’ve found that making art is the best way for me to express myself in a positive way. I’ve also discovered that in art, and in life as well, you should never give up on yourself or your work."

The piece was signed Hallie Rae Ulrich, 2013.

A heartbroken crowd gathered on Long Beach in Sag Harbor to remember Hallie Rae after she died — to pay tribute to her, and to celebrate her beautiful light.

On National Overdose Awareness Day this week, Scott spoke to Patch.

"I think of Hallie Rae every day. I grieve for her sister Ellison, and her mother Sally. I often listen to her voicemail messages on my phone. But I’m just one of hundreds of thousands of parents and grandparents who have lost good children to fentanyl poisoning."

He added: "Join our fight and don’t give in to the stigma!"

Kevin Norris, 26

The day began like any other.

Rocky Point mom Tracey Farrell, who worked at home, went about her normal routine, not worrying when she saw the car belonging to her son, Kevin Norris, still parked in the driveway. She just thought her son might have overslept or gotten a ride to work with a friend.

But what Farrell and her daughter Breanna found was a nightmare beyond what any family should have to endure: Her daughter was able to circumvent the locked door they found to Kevin's room — and found him dead of a heroin overdose.

"She told me, "He's not breathing'. I could tell he'd been dead for awhile," Farrell said in a past interview, her voice breaking. "My daughter was on the phone with 911, but I told her it wasn't going to help. He was gone. The only solace I found was in his face. He looked like he was asleep. He just looked at such peace. I knew that his struggle was finally over."

Kevin died on September 10, 2012.

He was 26 years old.

In the years since her son's death, Farrell found comfort in creating "On Kevin's Wings — Hope Takes Flight", a not-for-profit that raises funds to help provide airfare and a means for those struggling with addiction to find help.

Speaking with Patch about her unspeakable loss, Farrell said: "September 10 will be 14 years since my son died from an overdose. He would be 40 years old. Since he left us he now has two terrific nephews and one niece who resembles him so."

She added: "It’s so heartbreaking because Kevin was so wonderful with kids and I know they would have adored him. He most likely would even have children of his own. Overdose took that from all of us. I wish he knew now all that I have learned and done in his honor. His overdose saved numerous lives — and I just wish I could have one of his hugs today."

A decrease in overdose deaths statewide, Hochul says

On International Overdose Awareness Day Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said overdose deaths had fallen by about 45 percent statewide since 2022.

"International Overdose Awareness Day serves as a reminder that every life lost to drug overdose is one too many," Hochul said. "The progress made in recent years shows that our historic investments in the fight against drug addiction are making a difference. As this deadly epidemic continues to impact every community, I’ll never stop fighting to protect New Yorkers and ensure we’re bringing lifesaving resources to communities in need."

Data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows predicted overdose deaths in New York fell from more than 6,630 individuals (about 18 people each day) in 2022 to 3,775 individuals (about 10 people each day) in 2025. That represents an approximately 45 percent decrease in the number of drug overdose deaths, Hochul said.

"I am always hopeful and the numbers are dropping on overdoses," Farrell said. "The increased awareness and of Nalaxone (Narcan) has saved lives, including my own daughter's," she said. In the past, Farrell's daughter Breanna also battled with the grip of an addiction so strong that she didn't know if she would even survive.

Today, that dark time is behind her and she is living a beautiful life with her children, Breanna has said in a past interview.

"Some restaurants and clubs are supplying Narcan in a wall dispenser," Farrell said. "School nurses have it, and even college RA’s in the dorms. It truly makes a difference in an overdose situation."

She added: "Please, if you have a loved one who uses, or just want to have Narcan for a 'just-in-case" situation, please get trained."

Those who want to set up a group training or learn to be trained on their own can reach out to CASJ, Community For Social Justice, at 1-866-599-7260 or by emailing info@nysocialjustice.org, she added.

Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds, president and chief executive officer of the Family and Children's Association in Mineola, spoke with Patch about Hochul's statistics, shared on Monday.

"That drug overdoses and poisonings are down is welcome news and, hopefully, that means fewer families will have to endure the horrific losses that’s so many have suffered," he said. "At the same time, even one overdose is too many and we must continue our efforts in advancing prevention, treatment and recovery. We have some solid momentum on our side and should not be complacent — especially since all those lives we have saved require ongoing support, services, love and compassion."