An Olney family will once again honor the life of Matthew Loudon while helping raise awareness about substance use disorder and fentanyl poisoning during the 2026 Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction.
Matthew, who died from fentanyl poisoning on November 3, 2020, at age 21, grew up in Olney and attended St. John’s Episcopal School from first through eighth grade before before graduating from Our Lady of Good Counsel High School. His mother, Deena Loudon, also grew up in Olney, as did Matthew’s father, David, and the couple raised their family there.
Deena remembers her son as precocious, curious and outgoing, with a love for cooking, baking Toll House cookies with his grandmother and figuring out how things worked. He was also known for his kindness, generosity and sense of humor. “Over the years, I’ve heard countless stories about things he did for his friends that I never knew about,” Deena said. “He consistently put the needs of others before his own.”
Matthew began playing ice hockey at age 6, and the rink became a place where he felt at home. Deena recalled his kindergarten teacher calling during the second day of school to tell her how unusually comfortable Matthew was in his own skin and that he had already emerged as a leader in the classroom.
Beginning around middle school, however, Matthew struggled with severe anxiety. During his junior year of high school, he was introduced to Xanax, which Deena said provided an escape from those feelings and marked the beginning of his struggle with addiction.
“But as you can see, Matthew was so much more than his addiction,” she said. “He isn’t just a number or statistic, and he mattered.”Following Matthew’s death, the Loudon family searched for a meaningful way to honor his life and initially considered creating a foundation in his name. During that process, they discovered Shatterproof, a national nonprofit organization working to to end the stigma associated with substance use disorder and improve access to evidence-based treatment.
Rather than establish a separate organization, the family decided to support Shatterproof and its mission. Participating in the organization’s annual walk has since become a meaningful tradition for Matthew’s relatives and friends.
“Being part of a community that understands what you are going through and how you are feeling has meant so much to us,” Deena said. “It is also incredibly rewarding to see people confronting their addiction and, with the support of Shatterproof, finding ways to live their best lives and overcome it.”
Many of Matthew’s friends, including members of a close group that had known him since kindergarten, join the family at the walk each year. Deena said their continued presence has been especially meaningful as the family keeps Matthew’s memory alive.
Through sharing her son’s story, Deena hopes others recognize that fentanyl poisoning and substance use disorder can affect any family.“Fentanyl is everywhere, and it does not discriminate. One pill can kill,” she said. “Never in a million years did I think my son would die from fentanyl poisoning, but he did. It happened to him, and it can happen to you.”
The 2026 Shatterproof Walk to End Addiction will take place Saturday, October 17, at The Wharf, located at 101 District Square SW in Washington, D.C. The walk site will open at 8am, followed by the official program at 9:30am and the walk kickoff at 10am.
The route consists of an accessible, dog-friendly one-mile loop with a water station. There is no required fundraising minimum, and participants who raise at least $50 can receive an exclusive 2026 Shatterproof Walk T-shirt. Registration is available through the Shatterproof Walk’s Washington, D.C. event page.
