The day after Tyler Cameron's mother passed away, Hannah Brown's brother suffered a tragic overdose.
Thankfully, he survived, and is now speaking about this nearly fatal experience and how it has transformed his life.
Patrick Brown took to Instagram to share his story.
"I have been very hesitant to post this because of my pride and ego," he begins.
Patrick continues: "but God has been weighing on my heart lately to share."
Like his sister, Patrick is a devout Christian.
"As some people know," Patrick announces, "on March 1st I overdosed."
"I ended up spending 2 days on a ventilator," he reveals.
That means that his body could not be counted on the breathe on its own without mechanical assistance.
"And I am so grateful," Patrick expresses, "to be here to share this with everyone."
"I am not posting this for pity or what not," Patrick emphatically clarifies.
"But," he explains, "to thank everyone who has checked up on me."
A few days without Instagram posts are one thing, but a few days without DMs or texts is another.
We're sure that Patrick reached out to many people in his life to share this news before he made it public.
"Y’all are the reason I fully intend to take my story and share it," Patrick shares.
He explains that his goal is "to hopefully save [another's] loved ones."
He wants others "to not have to go through waiting by the bedside hoping they wake up."
"Rather then being mad at myself for this," Patrick shares.
He continues: "I am thankful this happened."
"I have grown so much closer to God, healing my heart," Patrick writes.
He is grateful for the opportunity for those things "and finding out who has my best interest at heart."
"This is my second chance," Patrick affirms.
"And," he writes, "I intend to make the best out of it."
Patrick is optimistic "and can’t wait to share where my testimony goes from here!"
We will all be excited to see where his journey takes him.
"Tomorrow isn’t promised," Patrick writes, "so live it for the king, hold your loved ones a little harder [every day], and check in on them."
"Things like this don’t happen suddenly," he notes.
When it comes to addiction and overdoses, Patrick explains, "it happens in the dark and slowly."
"Sometimes all it takes is a simple text or phone call to show someone you care," he advises.
We are so grateful that Patrick Brown survived his harrowing brush with death.
Overdoses are no joke. We're just glad that it happened a few weeks ago and not, say, next month as this pandemic worsens.
In April, someone overdosing and in need of a venitllator may not have access to one, as COVID-19 is a respiratory ailment.
It feels strange to agree that someone who nearly died is "lucky," but he's not wrong.
Patrick's change in perspective is great, but it takes more than a little resolve to address the aftermath of an overdose.
Even if someone is not (or is no longer) physically dependent upon a substance, there are still the underlying reasons for addiction.
Anyone who survives an overdose and can afford therapy -- not just counseling, but therapy -- is advised to engage in it.
Self-medication can be so dangerous. We wish Patrick all of the best on his health journey.
