
Published: Aug. 31, 2024 at 3:31 PM PDT
Watch the video on the KJCT News Website.
KJCT News 8 spoke with client Shayanne McCurdy about her struggle with opioid addiction and journey to recovery.
KJCT News 8
Well, more than 1,000 people in Colorado died from an overdose last year, and today is Overdose Awareness Day. Our reporter, Ivonne Olivas, spoke to a member of the Grand Junction community about her journey to recovery.
Ivonne Olivas
Recovering from an opioid addiction is not an easy task. On the Western slope, one clinic is helping break that cycle of addiction, one person at a time.
Shayanne McCurdy
Just because we might look different because we haven’t ate in forever, we haven’t slept, we don’t have clean clothes, doesn’t mean that we are bad people inside.
Ivonne Olivas
For Shayan McCurdy, addiction was unexpected. When a family member introduced her to meth and her father passed away, she quickly spiraled into heroine and fentanyl use.
Shayanne McCurdy
I OD’ed three times off of the fentanyl, and Very, very scary situation. Ended up in ICU for a little while. The NARCAN just wasn’t working. The fentanyl is getting stronger these days, and to where the NARCAN sometimes doesn’t work.
Ivonne Olivas
Mccurdy isn’t alone. In Colorado, someone dies from an overdose every five 5 hours and 56 minutes. Almost half of them involved fentanyl. For Makurdi, the turning point was a conversation with her husband. He put into perspective everything she was losing to addiction, including her three children.
Shayanne McCurdy
I was like, Do I want to lose my life to something that I’m doing because I’m sad and I’m grieving when there’s help out there? So I got in touch with Porch Light.
Ivonne Olivas
Porch Light Health in Grand Junction connected McCurdy to the medical experts and medications is needed to support her in recovery until she found the root of her addiction.
Shayanne McCurdy
It is so possible if you get the right help and really figure out why you started that addiction. Because most people start their addiction because they’re hurting or they’re trying to cope with things or they’re reaching out and just nobody’s really understanding.
Ivonne Olivas
With the proper resources and the support, Makurdi is now celebrating nine months of recovery. She says anyone can take hold of their life again.
Shayanne McCurdy
The help is definitely out there. If you really want it, you just got to go get it.
Ivonne Olivas
Porch Light Health offers both mental and physical help to those who need it, and a variety of treatment plans. Reporting in Grand Junction, I’m Ivonne Olivas.
KJCT News 8
For more information about Porch Light’s services for addiction recovery, head to porchlighthealth.com.





