Norman Miller
MetroWest Daily News
NATICK, Mass. — “I overdosed for the last time in August.”
That’s how a letter recently given to the Natick Police Department begins, coming from a woman who nearly died from an opioid overdose and who thanks officers for changing her life.
The woman, whom police did not identify, dropped off the letter at the station recently, along with some baked goods. The gesture touched officers deeply, police spokeswoman Lt. Cara Rossi said.
“The people who it meant a lot to are the officers who are out there, day in and day out, doing CPR and administrating Narcan and saving lives,” Rossi told the Daily News. “The officers get to see (that) what they are doing is making a difference. ... This just shows why and I’m hoping that it will change a lot of minds … that these people who need us are worth it.”
The woman, in her handwritten letter, said the overdose was a “wake-up call” that changed her life.
https://www.facebook.com/NatickPolice/photos/a.538409362904790/2829435890468781/?type=3&theater
“I went to detox the next day and haven’t used since,” the woman wrote. “Due to you guys saving my life through CPR, and Narcan, I got my life back.”
The woman then listed what getting her life back meant to her, including regaining custody of her daughter and moving back in with her family after she earned back their trust.
She also said she attained “true happiness, and I actually am able to say I love myself and who I am.”
The officers whom the woman credits with saving her life declined to speak about the incident, saying they believe it’s something all officers should get credit for doing because helping the public is a group effort, Rossi said.
However, the officers directly involved are happy to see her doing so well, she added.
“It really touched them to see this,” said Rossi. “It really is an amazing story.”
Even though the Natick department may be beyond the stereotypes of addiction, Rossi said she still hears people questioning why so much attention and resources are focused on helping those suffering in the crisis.
“This just shows why and I’m hoping that it will change a lot of minds … that these people who need us are worth it,” she said of the letter and the response to it.
That so many people are reacting to the letter emphasizes how there’s “not a single person who hasn’t been impacted in one way, shape, or form” by the opioid crisis, the lieutenant said.
“It’s all of our problem to try and help,” she said.