193: Travis Bornstein: Battling Addiction After His Son's Fentanyl Overdose

The Courage to Change: A Recovery Podcast

Travis Bornstein is the father of Tyler who died at age 23 of a Fentanyl overdose. Tyler had been successful in school and sports, but injury and the subsequent surgeries brought on an addiction to opioids which eventually moved to heroin.

This began 6 years of addiction and relapse. The family did everything it could to provide a path to recovery, but eventually Tyler ended up with Heroin laced with Fentanyl. The person he was using with panicked, and left him to die in a vacant lot.

The immense grief overwhelmed Travis and his family. It was his daughters that found the first outlet for their grief by bringing Tyler’s story to their school and starting Hope United, their answer to the plague that had taken their brother.

Then Travis used his own voice to share Tyler’s story at a union conference and speak about the problem facing their community. He raised 1 million dollars in donations in a little over an hour.

The family has used their platform and their immense effort to create “Tyler’s Redemption Place” a recovery community organization which will open this year. The mission is to treat the whole person, without any time limit, so they can truly receive the help they need to heal.

Episode Resources

Connect with Travis

• Website | hopeunited.life
• Facebook | @HopeUnited.life
• Instagram | @hopeunited.life

Connect with The Courage to Change

• Podcast Website | lionrock.life/couragetochangepodcast
• Podcast Instagram | @couragetochange_podcast
• YouTube | The Courage to Change Podcast
• TikTok | @ashleyloebblassingame
• Podcast Email | [e-mail]
• Podcast Facebook | @thecouragetochangepodcast

Lionrock Resources

• Lionrock Life Mobile App | lionrock.life/mobile-app
• Support Group Meeting Schedule | lionrock.life/meetings