MENTOR, Ohio -- In the last conversation Steve Simcak had with his son, Stephen "Stosh" Simcak texted his father that he wanted to get clean.
"I know I did nothin but disappoint u my whole life and i wanna be that son you can be proud of if its not too late," Stosh, then 25, wrote on April 27, 2015.
His father replied, "U still have a chance to turn it around."
Two days later, Stosh took a fatal dose of fentanyl-laced heroin at his Euclid apartment.
He was one of 228 people to die from heroin and fentanyl in Cuyahoga County in 2015. Officials in Northeast Ohio continue to grapple with the scope of the drugs that are on pace to kill nearly 500 people this year.
Stosh, whose nickname is Polish for "Stanley" and was bestowed upon him by his grandfather, was an ornery young boy with eyes full of mischief, Simcak said.
He remembered watching Stosh chasing his younger brothers around the backyard, building on speed that would make him a standout football and basketball player in middle school.
Then, in high school, Stosh started to rebel, Simcak said. He started staying out all night with his friends and experimenting with drugs. He went down the familiar path: from marijuana, then ecstasy, then prescription pills, then heroin.
Simcak let Stosh live with him for a short time, but told him he had to get new friends who didn't use drugs, and stay clean around his younger brothers.
Simcak and his wife, Karen Simcak, tried to find a clinic to treat Stosh. They said they called five rehabilitation centers and clinics, but none would treat him, because the 22 year old had no health insurance.
The agreement lasted about four days, before a blowout argument ended with Stosh walking out the front door for eight months.
Stosh's struggle continued. He became a father, and struggled to find full-time work.
Mayfield Heights police arrested Stosh in April 2015 on felony drug possession charges, according to court records. He bonded out of jail on April 27, and texted his father.
"I don't wanna lose my family," Stosh said. "I lost enough as is already."
After Stosh's death, Simcak and his wife vowed not to shy from Stosh's addiction.
They partnered with the Lake-Geauga Recovery Centers, and held a fundraiser last month in Stosh's memory. About 400 people came, and they raised $5,000.
"We're open about it because we want to help," Simcak said. "We want to stop one person from dying."