A mother in Calgary, Alberta, Canada recently shared a very private photo on Facebook showing her son before he died of an apparent drug overdose, in an effort to warn others.
Sherri Kent’s son Michael died of a fentanyl overdose. He was 22 years old, according to CTV News.
Kent’s son took a line of drugs in the bathroom of a corner market in Kelowna, British Columbia on March 14 and overdosed, the Canadian broadcast network reported. He was taken off life support on March 21 and died.
“My son was not an addict,” she said in her Facebook post. “He made a mistake that cost him his life.”
Kent told CTV Calgary her son barely knew the man who gave him the drugs. By the time he was discovered — about 20 to 30 minutes after overdosing — he had gone into cardiac arrest, the mother said.
Kent drove to Kelowna upon finding about her son, CTV reported.
The heart-wrenching photo, posted last week, shows Kent in an emotional state while lying next to her son in his hospital bed.
The post continues:
“I just want to make everyone aware of the epidemic that’s goin on right now that’s killing 5-7 people a day in every city in Canada. It’s out of control and there is no way to protect our children from this other than to warn them of the dangers of drug use today. I’ve lost my son to this horrible tragedy and want to make parents aware that it can happen to anyone who decides to touch anything that can be snorted up your nose. Fentanol [sic] is the number #1 killer in Canada and it’s taking our children and loved ones. Please share this with your family and friends to help prevent another tragedy.”
The photo has been shared more than 108,000 times as of Friday afternoon.