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A Nevada widow whose husband died from an accidental fentanyl overdose is shedding light on the drug’s harrowing impact.
Jacob Wade, 26, a former Marine, had been a devoted family man to his wife, Britain Tomlin, and children, Walker and Blakely, when he accidentally overdosed on a drug cocktail laced with fentanyl in February.
It’s unclear what other drugs Wade was taking, but accidental fentanyl overdoses have become an increasingly common story in the United States. Many victims don’t even know they are taking it.
Tomlin now warns against the dangers of the drug, which kills one American every eight minutes.
“Fentanyl robbed us of a wonderful man: a devoted husband, a loving son and a loving father,” she said.
Jacob Wade, 26, a former Marine, had been a devoted family man to his wife, Britain Tomlin, and children, Walker and Blakely, when he accidentally overdosed on a drug cocktail laced with fentanyl in February.
Wade was an aspiring businessman who spent his free time fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. He also regularly volunteered in his community, such as building homes for families in need.
“I am determined to raise awareness about the devastating fentanyl and opioid crisis, urging the government to step up its efforts to help those struggling with addiction.”
“We need more resources to support people struggling with substance abuse and help their families.”
Tomlin and Wade met in 2018 after he returned home from the Army. The two shared an “instant connection.”
“Before we knew it, we were married and embracing the arrival of our precious children,” Mrs. Tomlin said.
Wade was an aspiring businessman who spent his free time fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. He also regularly volunteered in his community, such as building homes for families in need.
But he also had a history of drug use that began when he was a teenager. He started with marijuana before escalating to harder drugs.
‘Throughout our relationship, he made tremendous efforts to free himself from his addiction, and there were times when he thought he had conquered it. But then he would fall back into old patterns and the cycle would restart,” said Mrs. Tomlin.
“Drug dependency had transformed Jacob into a different version of himself: someone who no longer recognized the person he had become.”
“The actions he took while under the influence haunted him when he was sober, casting a shadow of sadness and disappointment.”
In the graph above, the height of each bar shows the total number of drug overdose deaths that occurred in that year. As overdose deaths increased in the United States from 38,329 in 2010 to 106,699 in 2021, the percentage related to both fentanyl and stimulants increased from 0.6 percent to 32.3 percent.
Deaths caused by fentanyl in the United States increased in the 2010s. At the beginning of the decade, 2,666 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses. This number shot up to 19,413 in 2016. Covid worsened the situation, with a record 72,484 deaths recorded in 2021.
The Department of Homeland Security has declared fentanyl “the biggest challenge facing the United States as a country.”
This powerful synthetic opioid is 50 times stronger than heroin and 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. It is used by doctors for patients with severe pain or terminal illnesses.
It is cheap, highly addictive, relatively easy to smuggle into the US, and profitable for traffickers to mix it into their supplies, which saves them money and can extend or increase the high that users experience.
But it takes an extremely small dose of fentanyl to cause a fatal overdose. Just two milligrams, the equivalent of five grains of salt, are enough to cause death.
Because it is mixed with other popular drugs, many people who die from overdoses do not know they are taking fentanyl. Fentanyl has also been partly blamed for the sharp decline in life expectancy in the United States over the past three years.
It’s now found in everything from cocaine to molly to street benzodiazepines like Xanax.
The opioid that is eliminated with virtually all of the country’s illegal drugs killed a record 75,000 Americans in 2021, according to the latest figures, the equivalent of 1,500 lives lost weekly.
And deaths from drugs laced with fentanyl have increased 50-fold in just over a decade.
It was also linked to the death of Euphoria star Angus Cloud, 25, who died earlier this year from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine.
‘It is very common to think that addiction is just a choice. How could the people we love willingly go down that path of using drugs or risking their lives? “They have a lot to live for and their decisions affect many others,” said Ms. Tomlin.
Angus Cloud, the 25-year-old Euphoria actor, was found unconscious at his family’s home in Oakland, California, on July 31, and was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. This week, his death was determined to be due to an accidental overdose of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl.
‘We tend to label those who make those decisions as selfish, self-destructive, irresponsible and reckless. But the truth is that addiction is not limited to any specific type. It doesn’t matter if you are strong or weak, selfless or selfish, kind or heartless. He can hit anyone.
Tomlin said his relationship with Wade was strained at the time of his death. She had recently moved with the children and was temporarily staying with her family.
On the day of his death, he stopped responding to her text messages. Mr. Wade’s parents found him unconscious.
“He couldn’t go up the stairs because the paramedics were still trying to help him. My children were in the car with our neighbors and witnessed the police, ambulances and fire trucks gathering around our house,” Mrs Tomlin said.
“My daughter, who was only three years old, still remembers how they put her father on a stretcher and loaded him into an ambulance.”
At the hospital, doctors informed him that Mr. Wade had died.
“I broke down, fearing how to break the news to our children and their parents,” Mrs. Tomlin said.
“I spent about an hour with him and, before leaving, I took a necklace I had given him and left a bracelet for his mother. I whispered my last words and left, carrying with me the weight of that heartbreaking day.’
After her husband’s death, Tomlin took to social media to raise awareness about fentanyl and drug overdoses.
“If you know someone who is struggling, don’t wait: take action,” he said.
‘Show them kindness and honesty, communicate as soon as possible and keep checking in. Life is too short to let the fear of judgment stop us. Yes, my pain is always there, heavy and strong.’
‘I will take Jacob with me wherever I go. But you know what? “Despite all that pain, I found ways to grow and experience true happiness.”
‘My life is not over yet. Jacob’s memory lives on, cherished by all who loved him.’
Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Narcan, the nasal spray that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses.
The drug can now be sold without a prescription.