HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Cheyenne Goodman was not always this colorful.
"Yeah, I was not this colorful pre-two-years-ago but now I am. I say it's my trauma I wear on my sleeves," Goodman said.
Behind the butterfly tattoos covering her arm is her daughter Reagan.
"I did this whole butterfly sleeve for her. There's 16 butterflies for her 16 years," Goodman said.
Reagan Goodman is forever 16. She died after taking a fentanyl-laced substance given to her by someone she trusted.
"My daughter trusted the wrong person and took something that they had given her and it cost her her life. She passed away from fentanyl at only 16 years old," Goodman said.
Her mother has no doubt it was an accident.
"I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my daughter did not want to die," Goodman said.
Two years later, Reagan's absence was felt at the graduation celebration at Hendersonville High School with one less cap in the air.
Goodman wanted to honor her daughter there.
"I really wanted to distribute these flowers for the students and the families to remember her and remember why she's not at graduation," Goodman said.
Those who knew Reagan remember her warmth.
"Reagan is... was just light and life. Anybody that met her felt her," Goodman said.
In the years since Reagan's death, Goodman has wrestled with emotions that are common among parents who lose a child to drugs.
"You have shame and guilt and embarrassment and all these different things that run through your head," Goodman said.
She overcame those feelings to share her daughter's story publicly and step into the role of advocate.
"We are trying to save your child's life. We're trying to save your life," Goodman said.
Hannah McDerman, who knows Goodman, has watched the transformation.
"It was awful to watch her break the way that she had to, but the way that she is rebuilding... So much stronger and giving a voice to people who didn't have one before," McDerman said.
Goodman's fight has grown beyond her own family. She wants to see the stigma around fentanyl deaths replaced with urgency.
"Go away from the olden ways of thinking about things, stepping away from the stigma that surrounds fentanyl deaths and really get the attention on it... that our kids deserve," Goodman said.
She also wants to see the court system take a harder stance.
"Our county, we had a DA in there for a really long time. And now that he's stepped out, I have more hope that things are gonna transform," Goodman said. "I think that we need to really crack down harder whenever we have people that are found that have drugs on them."
Goodman is also raising alarms about how easily teenagers can access drugs through social media.
"Snapchat in particular is where a lot of these teens go. The messages disappear. It makes it where there's no trace," Goodman said.
Two years into her grief, Goodman describes the passage of time in a way only a bereaved parent could.
"It feels like a blink and an eternity all at the same time," Goodman said.
The 16 butterflies on her arm say it all.
"There's not another way to say it. I know I'm transformed forever," Goodman said.
Talking to your child about fentanyl and drug use is an important conversation that should not be skipped. Here are some steps you can take:
Set the stage. Choose a casual environment free from distractions — like taking a walk or doing a chore together.
Share the facts. Give your child a clear understanding of the drug. Even half a fentanyl-laced pill can be deadly, and more than half of local street pills contain it.
Teach them how to be prepared. Show them how to spot an overdose and how to respond.
Cheyenne Goodman is fighting for change in the courts, in schools, and on social media — one butterfly at a time. Watch the full video above and tell us: what do you think needs to change in our community to protect kids from fentanyl? Reporter Kim Rafferty wants to hear from you at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter
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A heartfelt thanks to all who bravely serve.
- Carrie Sharp
