Winston-Salem mother searches for answers after son dies from fentanyl overdose

For six long months, Andrea Scales didnโ€™t know for sure how her only son died.

It took that long for a toxicology screen run by the state medical examinerโ€™s office to come back with a ruling: fentanyl poisoning.

Someone slipped her son what he surely thought was a Percocet pill. Instead, the pill contained fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine, and it took his life.

Jeremiah โ€œJ5โ€ Scales, an accomplished athlete at Parkland High School, was 19 years old.

โ€œI knew nothing about fentanyl โ€ฆ one Percocet doesnโ€™t kill you,โ€ Scales said. โ€œIt was the last thing I ever expected.โ€

Now, a little over a year since she buried Jeremiah, sheโ€™s decided to see if she could save another mother from feeling the same crushing pain.

She allowed a photo of her son to be included on a month-long billboard campaign to educate and raise awareness about an epidemic that has killed thousands of North Carolinians.

โ€œIt just hurts โ€ฆ extremely painful to live without your only child,โ€ Scales said. โ€œYes, Iโ€™m all for educating other people about it and doing whatever I can do.โ€

Read the full article on the Winston-Salem Journal website (subscription may be required).

Translate ยป