Overdose

This is a true story, not a work of fiction. This is the story of an overdose I encountered and what I we all did to help.

So this story begins as so many do with me standing at the bus stop outside of my university, waiting for the bus. The day was cold, but not colder than usual for late November. Cold enough for it to hurt so much if you were outside all day, but not cold enough to kill you. The snow was falling slowly, making the world seem soft. 

There was a shelter made of metal and glass at the bus stop. A metal frame and glass walls. There were no benches or chairs in the shelter. There used to be but they got taken down, so all we have now to sit on is the concrete floor. I was outside this shelter, but I noticed that there were two men inside of it. I didn't pay much attention to them. 

Until I heard a voice from the shelter. It was a loud voice, yet strangely meek all the same. One of the men was asking all of us at the bus stop if we had naloxone (this is also known as narcan to those who don't know). This is a medicine that stabilizes people who overdosed, so that they can stay alive until they get the medical care they need at the hospital. At first I thought nothing was wrong, maybe he forgot his own kit somewhere. So I replied that I was sorry but I didn't have any. 

But I quickly realized that maybe he needed it, maybe someone was having an overdose. I asked the man if he needed the naloxone, telling him that I knew where to get some, and he showed me what was happening inside the shelter. Inside the shelter, there was an unconscious man lying on the ground, who was clearly overdosing. 

I didn't feel any emotions at all. It was like my brain was on autopilot. I was acting entirely on instinct. I gave the conscious man my cellphone and told him to dial 911, the emergency number where I live. The man was trying to do CPR on the unconscious person but it was clear that he didn't know how to do CPR. I urged him again to call 911 and told him I was going to get naloxone. 

I ran into my university, I ran up the stairs, and I walked as fast as I could through the school, until I reached the student union building. Inside the student union building there was an information event going on about harm reduction, aka how to help people struggling with addiction. I thought that there would be some naloxone kits there. That they were probably distributing naloxone kits to people who came to the event. 

I was worried for a moment that the information event was over, but it wasn't. I told the girl at the desk that someone was having an overdose at the bus stop outside and I needed a naloxone kit. She told me she didn't know if she had any. She searched briefly, and found none. But she told me that in the student groups room they probably had naloxone kits. 

I asked her where the student groups room was, and she went with me to the room, which was behind a glass door on the other side of the cafeteria next to us. There I explained my situation again to the two girls at the administrative desk. They got out a naloxone kit. I told them that I didn't know how to use it, so one of the two girls at the administration desk came with me. 

We ran through the school, and then to the bus stop. It was difficult, running all this way, because I was somewhat out of shape. But I'm really glad that we did run, because it means we got there quicker. 

Once we got there, we saw two ambulances parked on the road beside the bus stop, their lights flashing. We also saw a small crowd of paramedics and security guards around the unconscious man. The unconscious man was lying on the ground outside the shelter now. There were paramedics kneeling over him and an oxygen mask over his face. 

The security guards told me and the other lady to not to come too close, and they thanked us for getting naloxone. They said that our naloxone wasn't needed, they had their own naloxone kits and everything else that they needed. But that they appreciated what we did and that we did a great job. 

The lady from the student groups administrative desk told me that things seemed under control, and she took the naloxone kit and started walking back towards the student union building. I thanked her for her help twice and saw her off. 

The man who was with the unconscious man before, the man who I gave my phone to so he could call 911, he was in the shelter. He gestured to me from inside the shelter and held my phone up. I went around the back of the shelter, the two of us looking at and gesturing to each other, and I went to the entrance of the shelter. He passed me my phone and said thank you. I said you're welcome. 

There wasn't anything else for me to do, so I walked to the next bus stop a few blocks down the road. I was thanking God for sending the paramedics and praying to God to save the man's life. I kept praying while I was on the bus. 

I resolved to keep a naloxone kit with me in my backpack from now on. Where I live, in Canada, naloxone kits are free at the pharmacy. One kit lasts two years. I resolved to go to my pharmacy when I got the chance and get a naloxone kit to keep with me whenever I go out. You never know when you'll be in a situation such as this one. You never know when you might see someone overdosing. Maybe next time I won't be lucky enough to be beside a university or another building in which there's naloxone kits available. 

I resolved to also watch some videos teaching me how to use naloxone so that I know how to use the kit and how to administer the medicine if I am in a situation like this again. I have learned how to use naloxone one time before, but I forgot how to use it and I need a reminder. 

I will close by saying this. Nobody deserves to die from an overdose. And nobody can be blamed for being addicted. A wise woman who had a difficult road to recovery from drugs once said that addiction starts and ends with pain. Everyone has a different reason why they became addicted. Everyone has a different pain they were trying to hide from, or a different naivety that lead them down this path. But people who struggle with addiction need help, support, kindness, compassion, and resources. They need medical help, mental health help, and a better situation. The last thing they need or deserve is judgement. 

Please pray for the people who struggle with addiction, and the people who are at risk of it.