MIRAMAR, Fla. – On this week’s Mom to Mom, Local 10’s Nicole Perez sat down with a mother working to educate the community on the dangers of fentanyl after she experienced a devastating loss.
Mari Rodriguez lost her daughter to the drug, and she has made it her mission to make sure this does not happen to anyone else.
“So, after what took place with Iman, I decided that there’s no way that her name was just going to be ended, lost,” said Rodriguez.
Rodriguez’s daughter Iman was 18 years old when she died from fentanyl poisoning. She said she suffered from migraines and her daughter took a Percocet pill.
“She didn’t have a prescription for it But I’m sure that if somebody gave her one or something and oof this feels great and now I’m not in pain I don’t have a migraine. Unfortunately, the Percocet that was given to her had fentanyl,” said Rodriguez.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine.
Rodriguez said she noticed a shift in her daughter.
“She was a little bit more anxious Something was just not sitting right Felt like sometimes, you know her headaches will give her vomit I didn’t know if it was the migraines or something else. That’s how strong that thing is, and it can give you very severe significance, symptoms,” said Rodriguez.
The director of the Pediatric Emergency Room at Broward Health Medical Center, Dr. Francis Amador, said there are two age groups he sees coming to the emergency room from fentanyl poisoning. Toddlers and teenagers.
“There’s the teenagers who maybe were not aware that they were getting fentanyl when they were trying to use marijuana, or other pills,’ said Dr. Amador.
Dr. Amador says the minute you come in contact with fentanyl, call 911 and get to the emergency room to allow doctors to evaluate you.
“The most important part is prevention and education of parents and the kids. Education school is a very good at doing education for prevention of the drug abuse and make yourself aware of the side effects to recognize or side effects and symptoms on your child,” said Dr. Amador.
That’s what Rodriguez is doing through a foundation she created in honor of her daughter Iman, Iman’s Light Foundation.
“There were so many things that I didn’t know that I didn’t see that I wasn’t prepared, that I didn’t teach, that I had no way of guarding her, that I had to open up the foundation,” said Rodriguez.
Her direct focus is to educate children, youth, adults and communities on the dangers of fentanyl and other deadly drugs.
“I go to schools. I go to centers. I go to companies. I go to parent groups. I Go to foundations. I also distribute Narcan in order for people to have it,” said Rodriguez.
Narcan is the brand name for Naloxone, which is an opioid antagonist. Naloxone is a medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Rodriguez thinks everyone should have it on hand in case of an emergency because it can save a life.
Rodriguez wants parents to be aware of what their children are doing.
“I want them to not be afraid to check, back packs, to check things. I want them most importantly to build a safe place for them to talk to their kids, to let them know so that the kid feels that there’s a place that they can talk to, someone they can talk to and that there will be no repercussions,” said Rodriguez.
Iman’s memory still lives throughout the home. Her art, JROTC awards and her clothes still hang in her closet.
For Rodriguez, she has made it her life’s mission to make sure no family goes through what she has.
“Life without your child is not a life,” said Rodriguez.
The house recently passed the HALT Fentanyl Act, which results in harsher sentences for possession of the drug. The bill now awaits President Trump’s signature.
Iman’s Light Foundation is holding a fundraiser in October. For more information about the foundation and how to donate, click on this link.
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