ODESSA, Fla. — A Pasco County woman is turning the tragic loss of her son into an opportunity to raise awareness about the opioid epidemic — and she's doing it in a unique way.
- Noah's Ark on Wheels raising money for therapy services
- Funraiser event in honor of Marousa Rodriguez's son who died
- Niko died tragically this year after taking a laced anti-anxiety pill
- Event being held at the Avalon Center in Tampa
- The Heisman HoeDown! A Fur-Baby Family Fun Event!
Marousa Rodriguez started Noah's Ark on Wheels 25 years ago. There's something soothing about petting animals at Rodriguez'a farm. That's part of the reason why she got into the business in the first place.
"I think that the kids get therapy from it," she said. "If one of my sons was my partner in crime with animals, it was Niko."
Niko was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety. Working with animals was his escape, Rodriguez said.
"They calmed him down, they gave him therapy. They understood him when people did not," she said.
After high school, Niko spent much of his time at the farm, until he passed away unexpectedly earlier this year.
"According to the coroner, he had taken a benzo type anti-anxiety medication and it was not his own. He took something that was laced with fentanyl unbeknownst to him," Rodriguez explained. "It could kill you and that's what it did to my son."
By sharing Niko's story, Rodriguez hopes to warn others before it's too late.
Noah's Ark on Wheels will be traveling to the Avalon Center in Tampa Thursday night for a fundraising event in Niko's honor.
Attendees can cuddle with rescued bunnies, pet farm animals, and all proceeds will go to expanding the farm's animal therapy services as well as to substance abuse prevention.