Speaker 1: I had heard her crying out in her room and I went in there and she was completely purple and blue around the mouth and I just remember thinking, “She’s not breathing.”
Speaker 1:
Karlee was very loving. A little girl that liked to take everybody under her wings. Karlee always said that she was going to be a role model for her sister. And on that day we lost her. She died on us, October 17th, at four 30 in the morning.
Karlee:
I had asthma quite bad and I don’t know if it was because using prescription drugs and smoking and everything else, but I literally died on my parents. My dad had to revive me, he kept me going. I never thought I was endangering myself. I was hanging out with the wrong people that were into prescription drugs. Then eventually just, “Know what? I want to try this,” and then it got to the point, like, “I need this everyday to get up out of bed. I need this to function during the day.”
You wake up every day, wondering, “How am I going to get my fix?” And you’ll do anything to get it.
Speaker 1:
She used to steal off me. It was very hurtful, but it wasn’t the worst of it all. The worst of it is not knowing if your child is going to be here the next day with you.
Karlee:
I approached my mom and I’m like, “Mom, I can’t do this.” I wasn’t myself. I was missing a part of me. That was my turning point.
Karlee:
Counseling really did help me in a lot of ways. It would make me feel whatever was bothering me I’d want to talk about, it made me feel better. If it wasn’t for my family, I wouldn’t be where I am today, that’s for sure.
I have a full-time job. I have my dog. I have my boyfriend. I have a house over my head. I have lots of food in my cupboards and my bills are paid. My family’s there for me. Being a child I never, ever would’ve thought that I would have used prescription drugs, ever.
Speaker 1:
You just never know. It could happen to anybody’s child. She had another chance at life. I’m just so, so grateful.
Speaker 3:
Get the facts and talk with your kids about prescription drug abuse. Visit canada.ca/drugprevention. A message from the Government of Canada.
