KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — So far this year, there have been 253 reports of suspected overdose deaths in Knox County. The Metro Drug Coalition is working to prevent more deaths. It operates The Gateway, a recovery community center that has dedicated more than 100 bricks to people who've struggled with addiction and are working to dedicate 100 more by the end of the year.
The bricks bear the names of the people who died from addiction or are seeking a life of recovery. Some of the bricks represent a single life that ended too soon. One honors the life of Nancy Barger's older brother, who died from substance abuse. His name was Thorton Elmore and he was 43 years old.
"They are people. They are not just statistics. They have dads and moms and sisters," she said. "Four years ago, he passed away from accidental fentanyl overdose."
She said he was around 13 years old when he started to misuse his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication. Eventually, he started using other drugs before turning to heroin.
"We thought he was getting heroin, and he shot up straight fentanyl and died instantly," said Barger.
She said the bricks are a reminder about the severity of addiction and can bring people hope when they arrive at The Gateway.
"People can change," she said. "He was the best dad."
Webster Bailey, the director of the Metro Drug Coalition, said he was childhood friends with Elmore. He is just one person out of several that Bailey knew who now have their own bricks outside The Gateway.
"I know several people who have bricks," he said. "There is a story, there is a life and there is a person and a family on every brick."
The Knox County District Attorney's Office reported a decrease in the number of suspected overdose deaths so far into the year. While the county said around 250 have been reported so far this year, around 400 were reported to have overdosed this time last year.
"We are literally at the epicenter of addiction," said Bailey.
Anyone interested in dedicating a brick to a loved one can find more information at Metro Drug Coalition's website. The organization's goal is to dedicate 100 more bricks in 100 days.