A mother turns grief over her daughter’s overdose death into a movement to save others struggling with addiction

By Meg Dunn, CNN

Johnson, Vermont (CNN) — For so many Americans, Jenna Rae Tatro’s story is one that’s all too familiar. After a visit to the emergency room in 2012, she received her first prescription for OxyContin.

That 30-day opioid prescription changed the course of her life.

The once joyful 20-year-old who loved horseback riding and animals became addicted to OxyContin. Then she turned to other drugs like heroin and fentanyl. She struggled with addiction for six years and went to 22 rehab facilities and numerous intensive outpatient treatment programs.

“We did everything that we were supposed to do as a family. We did family vacations, we did the Sunday dinners,” her mother, Dawn Tatro, said. “But it doesn’t matter who you are, because that drug basically owns you.”

Tatro remembers her daughter as someone who always wanted to help others. While in rehab, Jenna would often call her mother and ask her to pay for those who couldn’t afford to stay. During her final stay at a rehab facility, Jenna told her mom about her future plans.

“She said, ‘Mom, when I am ready to leave this sober home, you and I are going to go around and raise funds to help people that aren’t as fortunate as I was,’” Tatro said. “And I said, ‘That’s awesome, because you and I, Jenna, we can do anything.’”

After leaving that facility, Jenna lost her life to a fentanyl overdose on February 15, 2019. She was 26 years old.

Turning grief into action

Each year, more than 80,000 people in the US die from an overdose involving opioids.

A few months after their daughter’s death, Tatro and her husband, Greg, started Jenna’s Promise in their small town of Johnson, Vermont – making Jenna’s desire to help others struggling with addiction a reality. Since founding the nonprofit, Tatro and her family have built an innovative program that gives women transitioning out of rehab the time and space to heal and build good habits before returning home. Jenna’s Promise provides housing, therapy, workforce development, and a strong community to help women stay sober.

“(After Jenna’s passing) I felt like I wanted to die, I didn’t want to get out of bed,” Tatro said. “But it forced me to get up and help others, so other families didn’t have to struggle with what we were suffering with.”

Tatro learned firsthand about the difficulty of trying to help a loved one get clean. Whether it was the challenge of getting Jenna into treatment, watching her fall back into the same crowd afterward, or being unable to find employment, Tatro saw gaps in the system. Today, Jenna’s Promise helps fill in those gaps, creating a safety net.

The residential program has three phases. At first, the women have a lot of supervision and accountability to help them stay on track. As the women grow in the program, they gradually get more independence to prepare themselves to successfully reenter society. Women can stay in the program for six months to one year.

Empowering recovery through purpose

Creating jobs was very important for Tatro, especially after watching Jenna struggle to find her footing.

“She wouldn’t have purpose, and she didn’t have any work,” Tatro said. “I would try to tell her, ‘You are amazing, you can do anything.’ She would say, ‘People know me in this town, Mom. They’re never going hire me.”’

So, the Tatros purchased five buildings in town and created businesses that offered jobs for women in the program. First, they work at the appliance store, which sells “scratch and dent” appliances at a 60 percent discount. Jenna’s Promise also owns a coffee roasting company, a café, and a general goods store.

All of the businesses are open to the public. For Tatro, a big part of this work is about destigmatizing addiction. By having residents of the community come into the general store or café and interact with the women working there, they’re seeing the faces of recovery.

Keeping Jenna’s legacy alive

Since 2019, dozens of women have gone through Jenna’s Promise, setting them up for a successful, sober life.

One of those women, Britain Davignon, was in the program for nearly a year. She struggled with addiction for 20 years and tried going to traditional rehab facilities to get clean.

“Medicaid only pays for 15 days of rehab,” Davignon said. “Fifteen days is not long enough to change your habit. And then you go right back into the environment that you just left two weeks ago.”

Coming to Jenna’s Promise was different. Here, Davignon had what she needed to find her footing and make lasting changes. A big part of that was working at the Jenna’s Promise café, where she was promoted to assistant manager.

“Having that job has been so huge for my self-esteem and my confidence,” she said. “I feel like this is who I am supposed to be. I have not missed a day of work since I’ve been here. And that was not something that I was doing when I was in active use.”

This work has been nonstop for Tatro and her family, who have dedicated their time and a sizeable amount of their retirement savings to the nonprofit. But Tatro says it’s all worth it to see these women getting a second chance at life – and to know that Jenna’s legacy continues.

“I always imagine when I see Jenna again that she’s going to be waiting up there saying, ‘Mom! You did good!’” Tatro said. “I think she’d be really proud of what we created. I’m happy with her promise that we’ve been upkeeping.”

Want to get involved? Check out the Jenna’s Promise website and see how to help.  

To donate to Jenna’s Promise via GoFundMe, click here

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