The family of Adria Bosshart, who died of a suspected fentanyl overdose in Saskatoon last weekend, continues to mourn. While doing so, they’re hoping that sharing their pain will make others realize just how deadly the drug can be.
“My grandma called me and she told me Adria passed away and I thought she was joking because you never expect that to happen,” Bosshart’s cousin Jordyn Wilkinson said in Saskatoon on Saturday.
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Bosshart’s death came just one day before her 19th birthday.
“She was at this party celebrating her birthday. When the paramedics arrived, they said she was dead at the scene. She could have been dead for up to 36 hours before they arrived,” Wilkinson added.
The family won’t receive autopsy results for another six to eight weeks.
It’s a tragic reminder of the dangers of fentanyl. Doses as small as a grain of salt can be lethal within minutes and it’s becoming more common.
Last weekend, Saskatoon police responded to three overdose calls.
“Teenagers never think, ‘it’s going to happen to me, even though it’s happening to other people, it’s never going to happened to me,’” Wilkinson said.
READ MORE: Fentanyl may be the cause of a weekend overdose death in Saskatoon
Wilkinson doesn’t want her cousin to die in vain and hopes others can learn from her mistake.
“Don’t do it, it’s not worth it. It hurts families and it’s really painful,” Wilkinson said.
“The high isn’t worth it to die.”
Last year, there were at least 51 overdose deaths in Saskatchewan; six are suspected from fentanyl. There were 22 fentanyl-related deaths in 2015.