Wisconsin parents advocate for overdose awareness

Jul 16, 2023

CEDARBURG, Wis. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 150 people die from fentanyl poisoning daily.

This is something the Fraser family knows all too well. Jim and Vaneeta Fraser lost their 19-year-old daughter, Maile, to fentanyl poisoning in February.

It was a typical evening on Feb. 16. Maile Fraser was watching television with her father, Jim Fraser, before heading up to bed. The next morning, he found her unresponsive in her bedroom.

“She was laying on her arm and it was all black and blue,” said Jim Fraser. “I thought something happened to her. Then noticed she wasn’t moving or breathing.”

They said they believe she took a pill to help her sleep.

“Bought one dose valued at $20 because we found the bank transaction,” said Vaneeta Fraser. “When it was tested, it turned out to be tramadol with a lethal dose of fentanyl in it.”

Maile Fraser struggled with her mental health, but her parents said she was doing well. She was in the process of finding an apartment in Milwaukee with her friends. The Frasers know in their heart that this was an accident.

“She made a mistake,” said Jim Fraser. “She bought something that was going to help her and the thing we’ve learned over the past five months is that this is happening to so many other kids. They’re not safe.”

Both said they want other parents to be aware of the dangers of fentanyl.

They recommend for families to keep Narcan in their first aid kit in case a similar situation happens; they said they don’t want another parent to suffer like they are suffering.

“People don’t expect when they tuck their kids into bed at night that they’re going to die,” said Vaneeta Fraser. “The next morning when we woke up on the 18th I turned to Jim and said somebody came into our home when we were sleeping. You don’t expect that.”

Maile Fraser was the youngest of their four children. She was known for her sweet and witty personality. Vaneeta Fraser said she was an exquisite dancer, enjoyed painting and was a dog lover. She had a close bond with her dog, Cyrus.

“My mother used to say she was always singing and bouncing,” said Vaneeta Fraser. “She was always happy and always creative, just a prolific artist, making costumes out of tissue paper.”

Just one look into her bedroom describes the kind of person she was. The room is filled with her paintings.

“I started coming in here very quickly because I could smell her in here,” said Vaneeta Fraser. “I could be with her. It’s been a place of comfort for me and where I can journal to her.”

The Fraser family said they’ll continue to keep Maile’s memory alive and hold their precious memories close to their heart.