A Kitchener mother is speaking out following her daughter’s death.
Natalie Cobbing says her 22-year-old daughter, Brittany Cobbing, died from a Fentanyl-related overdose on June 6th, 2015.
“My daughter personally overdosed from fentanyl. I don’t think she knew she was doing fentanyl,” says Natalie Cobbing.
Cobbing says Brittany had been using heroin for nearly six months – but started experimenting with drugs at the age of nineteen.
“I think her problems started when she was growing up. She was overweight and got teased for that,” says Cobbing.
The coroner’s report shows Brittany had 7.2 nanograms of Fentanyl in her system when she passed.
“You get a milligram, and if you divide that by a thousand you get a microgram and then you have to divide that by a thousand again to get a nanogram,” says Michael Beazely, Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy at the University of Waterloo.
Fentanyl has made headlines around the world, killing users with microscopic amounts.
Fentanyl related fatalities in Ontario have spiked in the last five years. In 2015, the drug was found in almost 200 opioid related deaths. Local drug strategists say Ontario is not prepared for the deadly drug.
Opioid overdoses have even spiked locally -- with almost fifteen calls in just three days last week.
On Wednesday October 19th, two near-fatal overdoses within one hour were linked to a home in Cambridge on Crombie Street. On the same day, Brantford police reported four opioid overdoses in two hours.
Natalie Cobbing says her daughter was so much more than a drug addict – but rather a kind and gentle soul. Brittany also had a daughter of her own, who she lost to foster care.
Her daughter’s death still haunts her.
“Yesterday, I went to get her clothes and just try to get a sniff of her. But there’s no smell on her clothes anymore,” says Cobbing.
With reporting by Allison Tanner
