Brainwaves

Brain Injury Association of Arizona Blog

One Mother’s Mission to Shed Light on Raw Realities of Impact of Accidental Overdose on the Brain

By Ed Roth


Although Roberto Guerrero Jr. lives in Ohio, Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona CEO Carrie Collins knew his brain injury story would resonate with families everywhere. Throughout the country, far too many lives have been turned upside down due to brain injuries caused by Fentanyl overdose. For the last three years, Collins has led an Arizona-based team to bring awareness and attention to the brain health risks associated with opioid overdose. This team continues to make inroads by helping prevent overdoses and giving a voice to those impacted.

In many ways, Roberto Guerrero Jr.’s recovery journey from brain injury is also his mother’s. It’s a story of her devotion to her son and doing whatever it takes to make sure he lives the best life possible.

One Mother’s Mission to Shed Light on Raw Realities of Impact of Accidental Overdose on the Brain

By Ed Roth


Although Roberto Guerrero Jr. lives in Ohio, Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona CEO Carrie Collins knew his brain injury story would resonate with families everywhere. Throughout the country, far too many lives have been turned upside down due to brain injuries caused by Fentanyl overdose. For the last three years, Collins has led an Arizona-based team to bring awareness and attention to the brain health risks associated with opioid overdose. This team continues to make inroads by helping prevent overdoses and giving a voice to those impacted.

In many ways, Roberto Guerrero Jr.’s recovery journey from brain injury is also his mother’s. It’s a story of her devotion to her son and doing whatever it takes to make sure he lives the best life possible.

On December 9, 2021, a detective knocked on Estella Guerrero’s door and delivered the devastating news—her son had been found unconscious in a car the previous day. There had been no accident, but she needed to call Toledo Hospital, then come down to see Roberto immediately. Estella’s daughter Lydia drove her to the ICU, where they saw him lying motionless, just as medical personnel had found him in the car.

Estella had no idea how to proceed as her 26-year-old son neared death. Hours before she arrived, Roberto had a cardiac arrest and stopped breathing. Since hospital personnel couldn’t get ahold of his family, they couldn’t get authorization for additional treatment. Neurologists told her that due to a severe anoxic brain injury (lack of oxygen to the brain), there was no or little chance for any quality of life for him.

“It was the worst thing,” she recalls. “I was freaking out, and not prepared to see my kid lying there on life support, unable to respond to me.”

Her mind reeled as she tried to piece together the events that brought both of them to this moment. Roberto was a recovering addict, sober for 17 months, and making great strides at work, having just been promoted to supervisor. He was also trying to get others with addictions into rehab.

On that life-changing day, Roberto had Face-Timed his mother, telling her that his back was hurting, but was otherwise upbeat. This is where the picture gets a little fuzzy.

“I understand he agreed to give a friend a ride, but it went bad when that individual got in his car. I think they slipped some Percocet laced with Fentanyl into his juice, then stole his wallet, grill, and shoes,” Estella relates. “The detective said somebody called to let police know there was an individual in distress in a car on Manhattan Blvd. When the paramedics arrived, [Roberto] was barely breathing.”

She was in shock for the next two weeks, as neurologists were not optimistic about his odds of recovery. “They said he wouldn’t be able to look at me, cry, or smile. I remember the doctor suggested I do what I thought Roberto would want.”

However, this mother’s will was determined to beat the odds. “I didn’t know how to make him better, but I was going to do everything in my power,” she attests. “I told the doctor who wanted to turn off life support and donate his organs, ‘If you’re not in my position, you don’t know how this feels.’”

After about 3 weeks in the ICU, Roberto had improved enough to be transferred to Advanced Specialty Hospitals of Toledo; however, Estella was not happy with his treatment there. She then had him admitted to Spring Creek Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, roughly an hour’s drive from her home.

“Throughout this entire process, I’ve made sure that he wasn’t by himself for a single day, except for those few weeks I had Covid,” she shares.

After an intense three-month span of neurostorming—amplified stress responses—Roberto began to show more expressions. “His blank stare went away and he started to look normal. He cried more, could move his toes, and I knew when he was angry,” says Estella.

His improvement could also be seen in the way he allowed Estella to do things for him, like combing and cutting his hair. “I know by his look that he’s scared trying to figure out what’s going on, so I’m glad he lets me apply CBD oil because it soothes him.”

The bond is close between mother and son, despite the ongoing difficulty adapting to this life-changing event. For the first few months, Estella didn’t know where to turn and had to figure out everything for herself. That all changed when she met Linda, the ombudsman at the nursing and rehab facility. Estella recounts, “Linda understood our struggle and immediately connected me with Case Manager Amy Lawson and (nurse) Cynthia at Ohio State University’s Dodd Hall. Their approach was to treat patients as real people and to find the best treatment for them.”

Cynthia requested Roberto’s records and observed his expressions. She then spoke with other nurses whose patients had emerged from semi-consciousness. After reviewing his medication, she recommended him for admission to Dodd Hall. However, during the most recent interview, the doctor first wants him to reduce his seizure medications to enhance his ability to respond. In a month or two, they will reassess his situation. “They were impressed by how flexible his hands and feet were, and how he was able to turn his head!” Estella enthuses.

None of what she has been doing has been in private. Estella realized early on that others were having the same frustrations trying to get information and needed to share experiences helping their loved ones with brain injury.

To expand this community, she took to Facebook and started a page called Robert’s Journey To Recovery From Anoxic Brain Injury. “We all want to know more to make our loved ones more comfortable,” she explains. On the site, she doesn’t post typical online fare. Her entries are sometimes uncomfortable, but they reflect the reality of the struggles she and Roberto experience. It’s also a way for caregivers to celebrate small victories that only they can appreciate.

“Families in similar positions don’t get the help they need. That’s why we need to be together for each other,” Estella emphasizes. On the site, topics range from the practical—like what type of wheelchair is best or what medications are effective—to the emotional, which includes what’s it like not being able to hear his voice or teaching him to communicate through blinking.

Brittany Sweeney-Lawson, Director of the Statewide Neuro Info-Line for the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona, knows there are many “Estellas” out there. She is passionate about leading efforts to expand access to the info-line to help families get the quick answers they need, as well as ongoing support from the care coordination team. “The efforts she is making are nothing short of heroic, and show the difference it makes for survivors to have people like Estella in their corner,” Brittany says. “At the Brain Injury Alliance, we work hard to offer free resources and programs so families and survivors don’t have to endure this difficult and often isolating journey alone. These programs, like our various online support groups, are imperative for people whose lives have turned upside down in an instant.”

Carrie Collins, MPA
Chief Executive Officer
Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona

For the statewide Opioid Response Team at the Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona, Roberto’s situation is a nightmare they work hard to prevent.  “Talking with Roberto’s mother, this is why we do the work we do every day,” says Carrie Collins. “This is why we fight so hard for education and resources around brain health and the instant damage that street drugs can cause. Even if it looks like a medication that would normally be prescribed or that the user had taken in the past, buyer beware!  If it was not prescribed to you and picked up at a pharmacy for your use, your brain health and life can be at risk,” she warns.

The Brain Injury Alliance of Arizona team applauds Estella’s honesty about Roberto’s past struggles and how frankly she shares the realities of caregiving. For Estella, it’s all about having access to research and patience. “My advice to other families supporting a survivor is, don’t let anybody rush you into decisions. Even when others are pessimistic, I’m optimistic.”

Part of that optimism stems from keeping what really matters in mind. “When this happened, I didn’t know a single thing about anoxic brain injury,” she admits. “I still don’t know exactly what happened to my son that day. But I do know I am always here for him, and we are all stronger together.”

“When you hear about the cost of the opioid crisis and lives lost to accidental overdose from drugs like Fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid, we focus on deaths. and we should.  The fact that we are losing over forty people a day to opioid overdose is simply staggering,” says Carrie, who also serves a national role as the United States Brain Injury Alliance Chair-Elect. “However what gets lost in the headlines is the potentially devastating cost to an individual’s health and wellness I think Roberto’s story really puts a face on this epidemic.”

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA

The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.

What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.

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