He was Connie Lopez’s best friend.
"He was so funny...he loved people. He was a people person who could make friends with anybody," said Lopez. "He loved people."
The Ventura woman said Joel Maldonado loved his family, and enjoyed working in construction. But, the 31-year-old Camarillo man was battling a demon. Lopez says he was addicted to fentanyl.
"He struggled. He struggled with his addiction," said Lopez. "He fought so hard."
Lopez met Maldonado through church. They were both members of Victory Outreach of Ventura County.
"I met Joel in 2018. He had wanted to change his life around...he went through our recovery home, and graduated in 2019. After that, he became a member of the church, and we became closer.."
Lopez said she saw her friend’s struggles firsthand. She said he overdosed three years ago.
"In 2021...he overdosed," said Lopez. "I went to go see him, and it was fentanyl. He told me it was a struggle, and I said you have to change...something has to give."
She said her friend bounced back, but still struggled. He eventually lost his battle.
In November of 2022, they had just returned from a friend's wedding in Las Vegas. She went home, But, Lopez said Joel called her late that night. "He said I just wanted to call you, and tell you I love you." She said a few hours later, he died from a fentanyl overdose.
In 2023, there were 234 accidental overdose deaths in Ventura County. 178 of them were caused by fentanyl. Joel Maldonado was one of them.
Lopez said her church, Victory Outreach, is trying to help with the crisis. It's organizing a fentanyl awareness event. In the lobby of their Ventura church, they are building a wall which will be covered with the photos of family members, friends, and neighbors who lost their lives to the drug. It will be part of a candlelight vigil May 24 near Channel Islands High School.
"We strongly believe that fentanyl is wiping out generation," said Lopez. "I don't want to sit by and watch. I feel like I've found a purpose. I don't want to see people go through what I went through."
Dianna Gomez is with Victory Outreach of Ventura County. She said they’ve already had more than 50 people contribute photos of their lost loved ones for the wall.
"There's a lot of kids that are being poisoned. There's a lot of parents that are hurting. It's a crisis," said Gomez.
Connie Lopez said she admits it’s still hard to accept that her friend Joel has died.
She admits there are still times she grabs her phone to share a story with him, and then. remembers that he’s gone.
"All the time...all the time," said Lopez. "I see a Tik-Tok, and want to send it to him. I hear a song, and I want to tell him about it. I talk to him, and still tell him."
