Young man paralyzed after overdose warns students as fentanyl deaths climb in Alberta

Breathing through a tube in his neck and sitting in a wheelchair, 20-year-old Trez Anderson addressed a crowd of mostly parents at Tom Baines School in northwest Calgary on Thursday, warning them of the dangers of fentanyl.

"I got it given to me because I thought it was meth," he said of the drug that claimed his mobility and his normal breathing when he was 18. 

• Calgary's fentanyl crisis: A close look at the numbers
• Naloxone kits help Calgary firefighters prevent 25 fentanyl deaths since mid-December

The warning comes as deaths continue to climb in Alberta — particularly in Calgary. 

In 2016, 149 people died of a fentanyl-related overdose in the city, most of them outside the downtown core that many would associate with nefarious street drugs. That death rate is 38 per cent higher than in Edmonton. 

In total, Alberta lost 343 people to the drug last year. 

"Oh it's increased a lot yeah, it's pretty insane," said Anderson.

Loss and lessons

The event, organized by two mothers who lost their sons to the drug, was an eyeopener for some young people at the event, who said they didn't know much about drugs prior to attending. 

"There are kind of just drugs just everywhere, it's like, not as rare as I thought it was," said junior-high student Lucy Feng of her impression.

For Ella Ren, another student, the nature of addiction and its consequences were what struck her, as she listened to the two mothers talk about losing their sons. 

"If you're doing drugs, it's not just affecting you, but it also affects the people who care about you as well," she said. 

Anderson said he just wants to get the word out so that others learn about the dangers of fentanyl before it's too late.

• MORE CALGARY NEWS | Bicycle thefts shift into high gear in Calgary
• MORE CALGARY NEWS | Pit bull that attacked and killed small dog will be put down