Episode 119: Libby Davis, Mom and Founder of The Cooper Davis Memorial Foundation

Written By Susie Gurley

This episode is difficult but a must-listen for everyone. Libby Davis says they were just living the “average” life in 2021 when they received the call that every parent fears. The local police called to tell Libby and her husband that their 16-year-old son, Cooper, was having a medical emergency. Libby chronicles the unimaginable pain of that day and how their son, Cooper, and his friends bought 2 pills they thought were prescription Percocet and split the two pills five ways. Cooper was transported to the hospital, where he died later that day of fentanyl poisoning. The other four boys lived. Libby emphasizes that it was fentanyl poisoning, not an overdose, as the boys received counterfeit pills and Cooper took fentanyl unknowingly.

Libby shares that she knew immediately that she wanted to use Cooper’s story to educate and spread awareness. Even though both Libby and her husband are healthcare providers, Libby says they had no idea about the counterfeit pills containing lethal doses of fentanyl that are being sold on social media to kids all across the country. She wants to use her grief to keep other families from experiencing this tragedy. Three main points Libby emphasizes are:

    1.    This can happen to any family.
    2.    We have to talk about it in schools and at home, at any chance we have.
    3.    The only safe pill is one that is prescribed to you by a physician and filled at a pharmacy. If it comes from social media, you have to assume it’s fake, full of fentanyl, and will kill you. 

Having spoken at over 70 schools to date, Libby emphasizes that this is not a one-time conversation and that one bad decision can result in death. Libby brings to light the role of drug cartels in the fentanyl crisis and shares some staggering statistics from the Drug Enforcement Administration (https://www.dea.gov/ (https://www.dea.gov/)). In February of 2023, more than 99% of drugs seized by the DEA were counterfeit, and fifty percent of those seized had a lethal dose of fentanyl in them. Libby also emphasizes that drugs are no longer being sold on street corners but on social media and apps that kids and teens use on a daily basis.

Some of the helpful resources Libby references are:

https://addictionisreal.org/our-story/

https://www.dea.gov/operation-engage

https://www.songforcharlie.org/

https://www.cooperdavismemorialfoundation.org

Susie Gurley

Susie Stapp Gurley was born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. She married her college sweetheart, Dan Gurley, shortly after graduating from TCU with a degree in advertising and public relations. In her first career, Susie worked in college admissions and academic advising. Simultaneously she pursued a master’s degree from The University of Central Missouri in sociology and then worked for the Sedgwick County, KS Department of Aging as a case worker. Susie stepped away from the professional world in 1997 to become a stay-at-home mom. She spent the majority of the last 25 years as a wife, mother, and volunteer, primarily in her church and her three children’s schools and activities.

Susie became a mental health advocate after her youngest son became a teen spokesperson about his battle with depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. In 2018, at the age of 15, Will founded the You Matter Festival, a music festival promoting mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Will shared his personal mental health struggles with the 1,000-person crowd, which started his role as a local KC teen advocate for mental health. Because of Will’s involvement, Susie recorded a video #Zeroreasonswhy (https://zeroreasonswhy.org), a Kansas City area organization working to end teen suicide in the Johnson County, Kansas area. This video was viewed over 10,000 times, which was the impetus of the Just A Mom podcast. Susie decided that she needed to follow the brave trail blazed by her son and became an outspoken advocate for parents of children who struggle with mental illness. The Just a Mom podcast launched in September of 2022 and encourages parents to know that they are not alone and there is hope.

Susie served as the Executive Director of the You Matter Festival and is currently on the Friends of Johnson County Mental Health Board. Susie has grown three children, two daughters-in-law, and a son-in-law.

Next

Episode 118: Michael Mackniak, Care Coalition