Nicole and Joseph Ascanio are the siblings of Anthony Ascanio, who died of an overdose in August of 2021. Anthony ordered what he thought was Percocet on the dark web, but in reality the pills were Fentanyl. He is one of the 70,000 Americans who died from Fentanyl in 2021.

After Anthony’s death Nicole and Joseph were forced to wade through the complicated grief that comes with overdose. The mix of emotions that come as they approach each first. The first week without them. The first Christmas. The first anniversary. All while wrapped up in the idea that they wished they could have done more and a questioning of every interaction they’d had leading up to that moment.

Since his death Nicole and Joseph are trying to make sense of everything that happened so that others might not have to face a similar situation. Their recovery isn’t linear, but they are taking steps to recover as a family. They’re also using their platform to try to make a difference in the opioid crisis. 

The Ascanio’s story is one of a family who continues to fight for each other even when it feels like there isn’t anything else that can be done.

Episode Resources

• National Alliance on Mental Illness Maine | namimaine.org

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