'A battle worth waging': family whose son died in opioids crisis celebrate Oklahoma settlement
Eight years after her son, Austin Box, died at 22-years-old from a lethal mix of prescription painkillers, Gail Box finds comfort knowing his story is playing an important role in the battle against America’s opioid crisis.
“In life, he was always a leader,” Box said. “To think that his voice is speaking out once again and helping to lead the fight and speak for the ones who have been lost… it’s comforting.”
Austin was a football superstar, serving as middle linebacker for the Sooners, the University of Oklahoma’s football team. In May 2011, days after his college graduation, Austin was found unresponsive at a friend’s house.
A report released after Austin’s death revealed that he had five different types of painkillers in his system at the time of his death. Austin sustained multiple serious injuries throughout his football career, though his family did not know the extent he was using prescription drugs to treat his pain.
“When our son passed away, we had no idea it was in the throes of this epidemic,” Box said. “We really didn’t know anything about it.”
In May 2019, Box’s husband, Craig Box, gave an emotional testimony against pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson in a lawsuit filed by the state of Oklahoma for driving the opioid crisis. He said that he and his wife were just one pair of many parents who did not understand the ubiquity of opioids before it was too late.
“We heard from so many parents that have lost children in similar circumstances that had the same story as us that had no idea, no clue about the prevalence of these drugs,” Craig Box said during the trial, often pausing to hold back tears.
On Monday, the family was in the courtroom in Norman, Oklahoma when a judge ruled that Johnson & Johnson was responsible for running a “false and dangerous” sales campaign that caused addiction and death for Oklahomans like Austin.
“We were happy in regards to the decision because drug companies need to be held accountable,” Gail Box said. “We hold them responsible for the opioid epidemic … It sets a precedent nationwide.”
“They are the ones that profited. If you look at the numbers of some of the drug companies and how they profited … that is where the money can come from and should come from to abate this problem.”
Box said that she and her husband had hoped the monetary reward Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay was higher – the company was ordered to pay the state of Oklahoma $572m of the $17bn the state sought – because the state needs resources to bolster addiction treatment and research
“We do not have enough treatment beds to accommodate those who need treatment. The affordability is often difficult for families,” Box said.
But Box said the settlement is still a positive first step in a long battle against the crisis that took her son.
Box said: “We hope the same thing happens in other states. We know we’re not alone, and I know that other states have been ravaged (by the crisis) to a greater degree than the state of Oklahoma.”
The Box’s have spent the last few years educating other families about the dangers of the opioid crisis in Oklahoma. The family established the Austin Box 12 Foundation – the 12 being a nod to Austin’s football jersey number – to help promote awareness of the crisis and fight the stigma of addiction.
Though the fight has been emotionally draining, Box said “it’s a battle worth waging”.
“I know if we could ask Austin if he would want us to do this or not, it would be a resounding ‘yes’.”