On National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day, a mother is trying to alert others about the dangers of the drug through her own story of loss.
Debbie Coldsmith never expected a knock on her door from police who delivered the worst news of all more than two years ago: her daughter, Lauren, had died from a drug overdose, after taking a pill with fentanyl in it.
Lauren had been sober for about a year when her mother said anxiety got to her, and she went to buy drugs from a man who later pleaded guilty to selling the mixture of fentanyl and heroin that killed her. She was 34 years old and had three children.
Coldsmith said she feels it’s important to spread awareness about the danger of fentanyl and its potential to tear families apart.
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“I miss my daughter every day. You know people tell me, they’ll say, ‘How are you so strong, how are you doing this?’ They don’t see me when I’m by myself and I’m strong because I have to be. My daughter would want me to go on with my life, too,” she said.
Other families have also had to bury loved ones in the D.C. area due to overdoses involving fentanyl. In April, 10 people died and seven others overdosed in Northeast within a three-day period after they took what officials believe was a “bad batch” of laced cocaine. In January, nine people died from taking a lethal batch of drugs laced with fentanyl, all within a one-block radius in Southwest D.C. west of Nationals Park.
While she knows she will never get her daughter back, Coldsmith said she sees it as her mission to help others, even if it’s not easy.
Her one message to families is to encourage them to talk to loved ones, no matter their age, about the dangers of the drug.
What to Do If Someone Is Overdosing, and How to Get a Free Narcan Kit
If you believe someone is having a drug overdose, call 911, D.C. police and the Department of Behavioral Health say.
Some of the warning signs of an overdose include pin-point pupils, a blue tint around one’s nails and lips, cold skin, sleepiness or if someone is hard to wake, the director of the department, Dr. Barbara Bazron, told News4 earlier this year.
D.C. residents and businesses can text LiveLongDC to 888-811 to get a free Narcan kit delivered. There are programs for free Narcan kits in most jurisdictions, including Maryland and Virginia. Go here to find free kits in your area.
If someone is overdosing, take the following steps, Bazron said:
- Call 911
- Lay the person on their back
- Support their head
- Spray the Narcan directly into their nose
- Turn the person on their side and try to wake them
- Administer another dose if the person doesn't wake after 2-3 minutes
The Narcan kits from the D.C. government have a shelf life of about two years, and each kit has two inhalers.
If you are trying to save an overdose victim, police will not arrest you for having drugs or drug paraphernalia, police said.
“You will not get in trouble when MPD officers arrive to help someone who has overdosed,” a message from the department said.
Fentanyl test strips are available from DBH to test whether drugs contain the powerful substance, Bazron said Tuesday.
