A Letter From a Mother Who Knows

I remember, in the short months leading up to Leandro’s passing, having a conversation with him about fentanyl being found in so many legal and illegal substances. Like most young and vibrant men, he quickly reassured me that it could never happen to him because he wasn’t an addict and didn’t use opiates.

Weeks later, as chaos began to unfold, I told him I was worried that someone in his group might overdose or have a terrible experience. I hoped that such a moment would open their eyes to the dangers and devastation of fentanyl and counterfeit pills. I certainly didn’t want it to be​ him. Truthfully, I didn’t want it to be any of them. I prayed he would soon grow out of that curious, thrill-seeking, and reckless stage.

I remember looking at beautiful Leo just weeks before his death and, deep in my heart, sensing that he might be that someone.​ Call it a mother’s intuition. I quickly pushed the thought away, annoyed with myself for being so overly dramatic.

On July 2nd, 2023, around 6 p.m., a detective came to deliver the news no parent should ever hear​, my son had died in a friend’s apartment. And just like that, I was living my very worst nightmare. I had to call his father and our family to tell them that our beloved Leo was gone.

It felt so deeply unfair and crue​l that such a beautiful, vibrant, and dearly loved soul could be taken by one pill.

But fentanyl doesn’t care about love, or potential, or the dreams we hold for the people we cherish. In one irreversible moment, Leo was gone.​ He didn’t seek out fentanyl. He didn’t choose this. Like so many others, he had no idea it was there.

I share his story with you in the hope that it may save another life—before anyone else has to experience this kind of loss.​ If I had known then what I know now, maybe things would have been different.

That’s why I started the Leandro De Niro Rodriguez Foundation, not just to grieve, but to take action.
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To raise awareness.

To offer love and empathy to young people struggling with addiction and mental health.

To help prevent other families from ever having to know this pain.

You, too, have power in this. Although we can’t bring back the ones we’ve lost, together we can fight for those still caught in the web of addiction.​ We can work to end the illegal distribution of fentanyl, opioids, and counterfeit pills.

This foundation, in Leo’s name, ensures that young people and their families have the information, resources, and support they need to stay safe​. My goal is to create a space for education, empowerment, and meaningful change.​ My prayer is that the senseless deaths and devastation caused by fentanyl and illicit substances will one day be a thing of the past.
Our children—and the generations to come—deserve to be safe and protected.

With love, hope, and determination,
Drena De Niro