AUSTIN, Texas — Cenote owner Mary Jenkins learned about the dangers of addiction from her husband, Cody Symington, with whom she opened the restaurant. She admits he struggled with substance use disorder for a long time.
"Not even I really understood what he was going through or knew that he was struggling the way he was until 2020," Jenkins said. "And with COVID and everything and the stress of just like, worrying about the business and stuff, it just escalated."
Symington got clean but relapsed in January 2021, passing away a month later from an accidental fentanyl overdose and leaving behind a daughter who was 7 years old at the time.
"I miss Cody every day. I think about Cody every day, and it's just like, it was just – for me – it was such an easy thing to do to just try to honor him," Jenkins said.
Jenkins took action by advocating for more people to carry Narcan, the over-the-counter nasal spray that can treat opioid overdoses. She said she learned about the N.I.C.E. Project, which provides free Narcan doses through vending machines, and decided to place one of the machines outside Cenote on East Cesar Chavez to honor her late husband.
"There is quite a bit of people that are living on the streets nearby, and so it's good to have out there in case someone does overdose on the streets," Jenkins said. "And then, also, this is a tourist spot. People come here to party."
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Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) has responded to more than two dozen calls of overdoses – though that is not opioid-specific – over the last year around that area.
Cenote is now moving to a new location, with developers hoping to put a new restaurant at its current location.
KVUE spoke to the developers, Haidar Properties LLC & Haidar Estates LLC, who said construction on the property will last 12 to 14 months. According to the developers, while no final decision has been made, the public would not be able to use the vending machine during that time.
Em Gray with the N.I.C.E. Project worries for a future without these resources.
"So, I think what we are really looking for at this time is a new home for the vending machine without any breaks, any stopgaps," Gray said.
For Jenkins, keeping the machine in East Austin is about turning the power of addiction into a mission to beat it.
"Even if we only save one life, it would be worth it," Jenkins said.
Jenkins said she has reached out to city and county leaders about finding a new location for the machine. There is a petition to keep it in East Austin, which can be found here.