I need to share both a celebration of life and a terrifying experience. One evening this past week, a mom involved with Truth Pharm went to her adult child’s apartment to pick them up for dinner (this was planned in advance). Her child has a friend who lives with them and the plan was for both of them to go to her house for dinner. They both struggle with substance use. When she got there, she knocked on the door- no answer, she pounded on the door – no answer. She was upset thinking they forgot about their plans and had left, so she got back in her vehicle to leave, she even had her vehicle in drive. Her gut told her to go back and try one more time.
She went back and decided to peer in the windows. Through a bedroom window, she could see an elbow of someone. She proceeded to break into the home where she found her child blue and unresponsive. They had overdosed.
Thank god she trusted her gut.
She ran back out to her vehicle and grabbed her lifesaving Narcan kit. Luckily she had just replaced her kit at another Harm Reduction agency after using her kit to save another life recently. She proceeded to give her child a dose of Narcan and started rescue breaths. Then she noticed the friend on the floor in the corner. They had no pulse at all. She gave them Narcan, started rescue breaths and performed chest compressions. When neither were coming to, she ran to her vehicle to grab her phone to call 911. When she got back in, she saw another Narcan kit near the friend. She gave them each another dose of Narcan and continued with rescue breaths alternating between her child and the friend as well as chest compressions on the friend. The friend started breathing shallow breaths and her child started vomiting, but still didn’t come to. Thankfully, EMS arrived and worked on them and they both became semi-conscious.
Two lives saved. Imagine this mom. Saving her own child’s life as well as their friend’s and all because she trusted her gut and also learned how to use Narcan and to save a life through education at Truth Pharm.
But the story continues. This mom is such a hero and she’s so strong. She said as EMS was working on the two, the police started gathering up items from the apartment – even syringes, which this mom knows her child obtained legally from the local Syringe Exchange Program. Here is her quote about this situation:
“An officer started gathering their “paraphernalia.” I asked him politely what his intentions were. He said, “mam it’s my job to take all of this to dispose of.” I reminded him it wasn’t and he couldn’t take their belongings (he had also gathered up a few small boxes of theirs with unknown contents). He told me he “knows the law mam.” I replied that I was also aware of the laws and said he could take the substances, but nothing else. I also told him I’m involved with Truth Pharm. He responded by putting everything down but the substances and started slowly showing me what he was taking and he was polite to me after.”
At this point, both of the overdose victims were responsive but her child was barely coherent. The mom heard one of the EMS folks say they were taking them to Binghamton General Hospital. The mom spoke up and said, “we prefer Lourdes Hospital.” The EMS person said, we take all ODs to BGH. The mom and the overdose victim have experienced incredible discrimination at BGH in the past (as many of us have) and the mom knows Truth Pharm has provided stigma reduction training at Lourdes. So she repeats her wishes and the EMS person repeats that they take all OD victims to BGH. The mom said,
“if this were a heart attack call, would the person have the right to choose which hospital?” The person said yes, the mom said, “great, take them to Lourdes. That’s our decision.”
She did say the EMS folks were respectful the entire time and then followed her wishes. At Lourdes, they were treated with compassionate care.
Today, we are thankful to be able to celebrate these two souls are ALIVE. We can also celebrate this message from mom,
“I’m mostly telling you this in gratitude for the last 5 years of education through you and Truth Pharm. Without it neither child would be alive today. I’M GRATEFUL!!! And to let you know that responders don’t even THINK to ask a hospital preference. So sad that with all we have done, PWUD still aren’t treated the same.”
We’re so proud of this mom. Concerned for her and her loved ones as well.
Also, local folks should know, one of the people who survived said that as soon as they used the substance that it tasted different and remembered saying to themselves, “oh shit” then fell out. Be careful folks!
Please use our New York State Never Use Alone hotline, even if it’s more than one person using: 1-800-997-2280. A nonjudgmental, compassionate person will stay on the call with you while you use and if you become unresponsive, they will call EMS for help.
The mom has requested that her identity and the identity of her adult child be kept private. Out of respect, we have removed gender identifiers.
Signed, Alexis Pleus, Founder and Executive Director of Truth Pharm