North Texas family shares grief, hope and support after tragic loss of son to overdose

Joseph Castro lived life with a simple creed: “I am my brother’s keeper.”

Now, in death, his family is living that credo for him.

Joseph died of an overdose in June 2019 at age 28. Now, his parents, Jessica and Joe Castro of Springtown, are reaching out to others dealing with the challenge of continuing their own lives after a loved one has passed on in this tragic fashion.

The name of their organization? You guessed it, We ARE Our Brother’s Keeper. The organization officially began in March 2020 when the city of Springtown proclaimed Black Balloon Day in honor of Joseph.

”The community was extremely supportive. People would stop and tell us their story of a friend or family member who had passed, or even how they had survived an overdose themselves,” Jessica recalled. “It was humbling to see how many people were going through the same grief as us.”

It was also when an idea was born: the idea to share their grief and the grief of others with the hope of finding a way to reduce the amount of overdoses in society.

”He (Joseph) lived his life that way daily. He would jump to help anyone, so when we decided to start the group we knew instantly what it needed to be called. I mean, that’s what it’s all about, taking care of our fellow humans,” Joe said.

Communication key to tackling issue

Jessica said another main reason for starting the group was to get folks talking about a topic that many are hesitant to discuss. She noted that there is often a stigma associated with losing a loved one to an overdose.

”I believe there is a complexity in overdose deaths. People tend to think that an overdose, much like suicide, is preventable,” Jessica said. “There simply is not enough people talking about drug-related deaths, even though someone dies from an overdose every 14 minutes.

”We need more people talking about drug-related deaths.”

Along with the loss of her son, Jessica experienced the loss of her father in a roundabout way to drugs.

”It was not an overdose, necessarily, but my father was actually in a treatment center trying to stop using and committed suicide,” she said.

There is also a misconception that overdoses are always by people who are addicted to drugs and use them on a regular basis. That is not always true and it wasn’t the case with Joseph, Jessica said.

”He wasn’t someone who used drugs like that. He was just in a very bad head space that day and used, and tragically it was the worst decision ever,” she said. “We do realize that many do want to get help and have no idea where or how to begin, so Joe and I have paired up with a few fantastic facilities in the Parker County area that we can refer someone who is seeking help to.”

Along with the adults in the group, there are others coping with loss. Joseph left behind four younger siblings: 19-year-old Mario, 17-year-old Myra, 16-year-old Joey Marie and 14-year-old Jesse.

“We talked to the other kids about they were and are feeling, and encourage them to freely express their emotions with each other and us,” Jessica said. “Our oldest daughter, Myra, says she has met quite a few kids at school that, once they have heard about We Are Our Brother’s Keeper, come to her and talk about someone they have lost to addiction. I feel like it has opened a line of communication for kids who felt alone in their grief as well.”

It takes a whole community

In January 2021 the Castros started a Facebook page to begin more communication among the group. By April the group grew to more than 500 members.

”We have members from other states as well. All of them have either struggled with addiction themselves, has a loved one struggling, or has lost someone to an overdose,” Joe said.

The group also shares memories of their loved ones. A choked-up Joe reflected, “I have so many great memories with my boy but my favorites are when we worked on cars together.”

In addition, group members share articles and experiences in hopes of educating others, Jessica said.

Jessica said the city of Springtown has been supportive of the group’s mission. This has included adopting a two-mile stretch of Highway 199 close to the high school that the group will clean at least four times each year, putting up a community Christmas tree in the Castros’ yard with red and gold ornaments bearing the names of lost loved ones, and handing out “baskets of love” to needy families for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Joe said beginning this January, the group will hold twice monthly grief support meetings. They will be both in-person and virtual.

”We are calling it Open Hearts grief support. I say we’re excited because we found their are no such meetings being held anywhere in Springtown for this, and it is a definite need,” he said.

Anyone interested in joining or assisting the group can find them on Facebook at We ARE Our Brothers Keeper. They can also email Jessica at jessicamichelle1376@icloud.com and she can send them a link to the group.

This story was originally published January 10, 2022 at 6:00 AM.