A depressing scene unfolded as a 2-year-old girl was caught on video desperately trying to wake up her mother who apparently overdosed on heroin.
The New York Daily News reported that the woman was revived by emergency medical technicians but it took 2 doses of Narcan, an overdose reversal drug, to revive her.
At a Family Dollar store
The video shows the little girl crying and frantically trying to wake up her mother who was lying unconscious on the floor of a Family Dollar store. Feelings of panic and desperation can clearly be felt from the child during the incident.
When asked for a statement, Lawrence Police Chief James Fitzpatrick said : "It's very disturbing to see someone obviously in the matter of addiction where it overtakes someone where they're not able to take care of their child, leaves their child vulnerable."
Why didn't the bystanders do anything to help?
In a report by the Huffington Post, the police officials and the people who saw the video questioned why the person taking the video didn't try to calm the child down while waiting for the medics.
According to Deanna Cruz, a worker at an opioid prevention program in the area, says that the person who took the video should have taken steps to comfort the crying child. She also adds that she wants to see the mother as someone with an addiction issue.
Police say that the mother could be charged with reckless endangerment.
As for the child, she is now safe, and is currently under the care of the Department of Children and Families.
Watch the video here:
The impact of drugs on families
According to the WHO, 155 to 250 million people, or 3.5% to 5.7% of the world's population aged 15-64, have used psychoactive substances back in 2008. The constant use of these drugs can cause significant health and social problems not only for the users, but also for their family as well as their community.
If you know someone who has a drug problem, make sure to do all that you can to help them get better. What they need most at this point in their life is our understanding and a willingness to help them out. There are always local rehabilitation centers as well as health centers that are always open to provide assistance.
Sources: Parentherald, NYDailyNews, WHO
