Cade Farren Macdonald
March 20, 2005 — January 8, 2026
— Dana, Cade's Mom
Cade Was Bright, Loving, and Full of Life.
Cade was a 20-year-old college student with his future ahead of him. He was a son, a twin brother, a younger brother to his older sister, a grandson, a nephew, and a friend to so many. He showed up for others, especially the people he loved. His friends described him as a positive influence in their lives — a bright light wherever he went.
Like many young adults, Cade and his twin brother Colt visited a smoke shop with a friend. An employee recommended a kratom product based on its taste. That recommendation introduced them to a product they did not understand was opioid-like in its effects. Neither Cade nor Colt was warned that kratom acts on the same receptors in the brain as opioids, can lead to dependence, and has been associated with serious adverse events including death.
As Cade's kratom use continued, he experienced increasing difficulties he could not explain. What began as a product presented as harmless became associated with growing anxiety, physical dependence, and confusion about what was happening to his body. The very substance he believed was helping him was, in fact, making things worse. Because it was marketed and sold as a dietary supplement, the risk was invisible to him.
Only after Cade's death did his twin brother Colt understand the role kratom had been playing in his own life. When he tried to stop, he could not do so on his own. He required professional treatment to overcome his dependence.
Cade would not have died had he not ingested mitragynine,the primary active compound found in kratom products.
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