The moment an overdosing heroin addict was revived by a new life-saving drug has been released as campaigners push for the medication to be provided to police officers.
A drug called Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, can revive these addicts during an overdose, but only if it's quickly administered.
In an effort to push for the disbursement of the drug to non-medical first responders and even non-emergency workers, CNN's Dr Sanjay Gupta showed a video of how one 29-year-old addict got a second chance from the drug.
The video shows a woman named Liz, who's been taking drugs since she was 11, passed out from an overdose of heroin.
'She seemed to be pretty unresponsive; we were noticing a blueing of the lips, lack of oxygen. So her breathing had become quite shallow,' said Adam Wigglesworth, who found the dying the woman in August.
He and Louise Vincent volunteer with a program in Greensboro, North Carolina which provides clean needles and other assistance to addicts.
The two tried to revive Liz by regulating her breathing but it wasn't working so they injected her with Naloxene. When she still didn't wake up, they gave her another shot and that did the trick.
She started responding and they are able to move her up into a sitting position. Four emergency room physicians validated the video's authenticity to CNN, saying that's how the drug works.
Now, Liz credits Wigglesworth and Vincent for giving her the drug that saved her life. The pair, like others, believe the drug should be more widely available beyond just doctors.
'I can't believe that somebody cared about me enough or loved me enough to being me back,' Liz said of the life-saving jabs.
Soon after, Liz checked into a rehab facility.
The drug is so effective that many are lobbying for the right of first responders and lay people to carry the drug.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
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