Crystal Lake mom to speak about her son’s fatal overdose Sunday at Woodstock Square event

At an event Sunday in Woodstock designed to encourage conversation about addiction and overdoses, Brenda Napholz of Crystal Lake will share the story of her son who died from a fentanyl overdose in 2019.

Napholz said she will share the story of discovering her son, Paul, had a substance use disorder that began in his teens and took his life after a relapse at the age of 27.

“We had a typical Crystal Lake kid who had every normal experience and protective factors,” she said of the shock when she learned that her son began using substances while a senior at Crystal Lake South High School.

Napholz, who founded the BREAK teen center in Crystal Lake in 2013, will share the importance of overcoming the shame of substance use disorder and the need for open communication. She also will address the importance and understanding of the use of naloxone to reverse an opioid overdose.

The epidemic that is happening is not only in our town but in our society, and it’s prevalent.”

—  Stefani Gattone, McHenry County program manager for Liv4Lali

She will tell her story and share who her son was when he was alive as part of the International Overdose Awareness event from noon to 3 p.m. on the historic Square in Woodstock.

This is an event for anyone in the community to find support, remember those they have lost to an overdose, and pick up and learn about naloxone and fentanyl test strips, said Stefanie Gattone, McHenry County program manager for Live4Lali, which is leading this year’s event for the first time.

For the past six years, the event was organized by the McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition.

“Our goal is to raise awareness and educate people on how an overdose is preventable, and try to get naloxone into as many people’s hands as possible,” Gattone said.

Naloxone, often recognized by the brand name Narcan, is a medication sprayed into the nose of someone suspected of experiencing an opioid overdose. If given in time, it can reverse the deadly effects of the drug.

Fentanyl strips are used to test whether any drug contains fentanyl, which is more deadly than the drugs it often is mixed with.

Gattone, who is in long-term recovery with her own substance use disorder, said she knows more than 50 people who have died from an accidental overdose, which moved her to join these efforts.

These events are important because “the epidemic that is happening is not only in our town but in our society, and it’s prevalent,” Gattone said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose deaths in 2022 accounted for more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S.

In 2022, McHenry County saw 41 deaths attributed to drug overdoses, nine of which were determined to be suicides, according to the coroner’s office.

Gattone and Napholz said all people – whether they struggle with their own opioid addiction, they know someone who is struggling or they don’t know anyone experiencing addiction – need to have in their possession and know how to use naloxone to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

The event also will include a food truck, live music, resources and free bracelet-making facilitated by Holly Eberle, 32, of Algonquin.

Eberle was one of Paul Napolz’s best friends. He made his own bracelets often, including one that read “Pauly Starfoxx,” his DJ nickname. In his memory, Eberle said, she made several bracelets with his nickname for his funeral.

She said she is providing this “therapeutic” activity to help “lighten the mood” while honoring her friend.

Eberle, who works as a teen librarian at the Algonquin Area Public Library, said she will encourage kids and adults at Sunday’s event to make a bracelet in honor of a loved one who is struggling with or died from an overdose.