Walk in Bernalillo brings awareness to fentanyl epidemic

BERNALILLO — Loretta Park in Bernalillo was filled with many families who participated in the “Walk for Lives” event Sept. 20, which united the community in the fight against fentanyl.

“I’m honoring my son because his life mattered,” said Ranada DuPonte, who lost her son Charles “Charlie” Swindle in February 2025 to fentanyl poisoning.

The Walk for Lives event aimed to bring awareness, honor lost lives and hope to prevent further tragedies.

“I want other families to know that we do need to stop the stigma. There is help available, to speak up,” DuPonte said. “We didn’t talk about Charlie’s addiction openly ... he didn’t want people to know. There is help and support available.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Synthetic opioids (like fentanyl) are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the United States.”

“It’s unbelievable. Jelly Roll did a hearing in front of Congress. The stats read that an airliner full of people, like 275 passengers, that’s how many people are dying of fentanyl everyday,” said Gary Gamboa said, co-owner of Desert Mountain Healing. “For whatever reason, the word is just not getting out. This is just part of that, trying to get the word out.”

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration website, one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill half a million people.

The walk began at Loretta Park and took the crowd all the way to Rotary Park before heading back.

“Fentanyl is sometimes a faceless crime, and we hear about the deaths. Walking here with these families, I’ve talked to three or four different families who have felt this ... and they are trying to get through a tragic time,” said Sandoval County Commission Chairman Michael Meek, who was there to support a friend.

Meek also wanted the public to know that vending machines with Narcan are available at the Sandoval County Health Commons thanks to Women in Leadership New Mexico. Narcan is a type of Naloxone which reverses an opioid overdose and is a lifesaving medicine according tp the CDC.

Families and friends had T-shirts and signs honoring those that had died due to fentanyl. Cars passing by the crowd honked their horns in solidarity.

The event was organized by Kelly Opp, the mother of William Austin Burnett, who lost his life to fentanyl.

“We walk for those we’ve lost and those we refuse to lose,” Opp said in a press release. “My son’s story is one of far too many. This walk is about raising awareness, supporting prevention, and building a stronger, safer community together.”