5 West Nursing

Life is hard for your loved ones especially when you play Chemical Russian Roulette. No, I’m not talking about a revolver loaded with a single round. I’m talking about that white stuff commonly administered through insufflation which causes a sense of euphoria and appetite suppression… you know, that alkaloid substance found in coca leaves commonly known as cocaine.

This was the case of a 24-y/o gentleman who, unfortunately finds himself in the ICU, a victim of a ruptured brain aneurysm 2nd to hypertension due to cocaine abuse. He apparently passed out and was rushed to the ER. By the time they got there it was too late. He was practically brain dead. Today they just took him out of life support amid family and friends. Sadly you hear his mother wailing over him, pleading for him to get up… he’s gone. How many more senseless deaths do we need to see until people get it. Don’t do drugs… nothing good ever comes out from it! When you’re gone, you only hurt those who you leave behind.

It would be sad if the white stuff came from one of the family members. Perhaps a cousin or a brother, or maybe one of his homies. I’ve heard rumors that even grandmas do it. After all we live in South Texas just 10 minutes from the Mexican border, a major drug trafficking area. Oftentimes you see someone drive down the streets with their fixed-up Escalades and those 20 inch rims. My friends tell me “there goes another pharmacist” (if you get the drift). Ironically despite the poverty level down here people still have access to that stuff. Sometimes I wish I could get a video camera and shoot video clips of the tragedy that most people don’t get to see everyday. Maybe it will shock others into steering clear of that potentially lethal habit. But then again, will it change anything?

“There is a way that seems right to a man,  but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 16:25 This proverb written over 2000 years ago still apply today. Oftentimes we may do things that seem right to us. We disregard the laws of health. We abuse our bodies in the pursuit of happiness. But like the proverb goes, it leads to distruction. “Only one more hit”, he must have thought… Unfortunately for him, the chamber was loaded this time.