When you visit the Aperture of Hope website, you are greeted by the photo of a young woman with green eyes, long auburn-colored hair and a gentle smile.
That fresh-faced young woman, Emily Adams, died after ingesting a fentanyl-laced Percocet pill.
At the time of her death, the 21-year-old was employed as a peer support specialist at a men’s recovery center in Tucson, Arizona. It was April 2020, the early days of the pandemic, and Emily was one of many across the country who would be laid off from her job. Despite the layoff, “she was loving her job and looking forward to going to school in the fall to be an addiction counselor,” said her mother, Cath.
Cath thinks Emily was looking for relief from tooth pain. The browser history on Emily’s cell phone revealed she had searched images of Percocet pills — possibly to identify their color, shape and inscribed imprint codes — in an attempt to ensure that what she was taking was, in fact, a Percocet pill.
“I know she was looking for a Percocet because of the search on her phone, but I cannot tell you if it was someone from work that gave it to her or how she got it,” Cath explained.
The next day was Emily’s younger sister’s 16th birthday, so when the telephone rang, they thought it would be Emily sending Ashley birthday wishes. Instead, it was the call no one ever wants to get.
Cath recalled they were told there would have to be an autopsy. After about a month, the autopsy report stated that Emily’s heart, brain and organs were healthy and determined there was only one substance in her body — fentanyl.
Since Emily’s death, Cath and her husband, Gregg, and their son and daughter speak to students in schools and other community groups to bring awareness about the pervasiveness of fentanyl.
After Cath completed a storytelling class, she said, “It totally flipped things around and changed how I tell my story by looking at the beauty and hope.”
She said, “The story [of Emily’s death] has many layers, and it has evolved from how we shared our stories with others at the very beginning. And because fentanyl is a big topic, I was more focused on the cause of Emily’s death rather than the cause of Emily’s life.”
While the family continues to engage groups in conversation about fentanyl, Cath and Gregg, who have run a professional photography business for over 20 years, have turned the lens to a different focus, forming Aperture of Hope.
Aperture of Hope uses photography as a tool to connect with others and, in turn, help others connect with themselves. For example, someone dealing with depression can find solace in photography’s quiet nature. Cath has worked with people undergoing significant life changes, like health issues or coping with loss and has found a contemplative mind as one becomes immersed in composing the shot.
The parallels between life and photography are many. Cath said, “Choices are made as to what you wish to focus on and what you choose to leave out of the frame. In the mindfulness of the moment, you start to see the little things and how they relate to our everyday lives, which can send you on a path of healing.”
For more information about Aperture of Hope’s work, go to www.apertureofhope.com