INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — In an effort to turn personal tragedy into a beacon of hope for others, a KC-area resident has opened a thrift store with a mission to raise funds for a drug rehab center.
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John Speakman lost his fiancée, Gina Ruth, to fentanyl three years ago. Her death sparked his initiative to open the Lose Some Gain Some thrift store in Independence, Missouri.
“It was very hard. The first year, all I could do was just drive. I just couldn't do anything but drive," Speakman said. “This thrift store, every dime that comes in it goes straight into the Gina Ruth Foundation.”
The store opened last year, offering a variety of different pieces from clothes, furniture, toys and jewelry. It also has become an effort that wasn't in John's future plans.
"I'm hoping to get this rehab center built up, dry up the fentanyl trade," Speakman said.
The money raised by Lose Some Gain Some will go towards building a safe haven where people battling addiction can get the help and resources they need. Speakman said the rehab facility will also be a haven of rehabilitation where people can find peace and a fresh start — all while honoring the life of Ruth.
"It's all I have of her. I love that woman very much, and I still do," Speakman said. "So, the more I keep her name alive, she's here with me.
“One of the biggest things that they can always look forward to is if they got somebody that's on the fentanyl whether it's any kind of drugs. They can get them into rehab without having to worry about insurance, without having to worry about money. It's free. It's self-funded," Speakman said.
Speakman said the development of the drug rehab center is costing over $3 million. While he hopes the thrift store can get him to meet the goal, he now turns to the community to help with any donations.
“When you lose somebody there’s not really much you can say because there are no words that could cure the hurt," Speakman said. "You know, the only thing I can really tell them, keep pushing keep their name alive, don’t let the world forget it could happen to them.”
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