In the midst of an opioid addiction crisis being fought by police, border officials, health authorities and the provincial and federal governments, a Coquitlam mother grieving the loss of her son is calling for change so that other families don't suffer the same fate.
Michelle Jansen, speaking after the first day of a seven-day coroner's inquest into the death of her son, Brandon Jansen, said the process of getting help for a drug addiction should be no different than for any other disease: immediate treatment by qualified professionals in a safe and secure setting; a centralized resource to guide patients and their families through the process; and greater public funding so that there isn't a "two-tier system."
"When someone is addicted, especially to fentanyl, those fleeting moments where they have enough clarity to make that decision [to change], there has to be treatment available at that moment," Jansen said. "Brandon wasn't able to make those choices, the drug was making his choices for him."
A HAPPY KID
Brandon was a happy child, full of energy and always on the go, Jansen told the five-member inquest jury Monday morning.
"He had a big personality even from a very young age," she said. "He was funny, he had a quick wit and he was very confident."
Brandon played soccer and basketball, and enjoyed fishing and hunting while at the family's cabin in the Cariboo.
As a teen, Brandon became interested in mixed martial arts and bodybuilding but Jansen said her son's large 6'2" frame belied his kindness and gentleness, particularly when it came to his family.
But signs of trouble emerged in high school, the jury heard.
At Heritage Woods secondary, Brandon fell in with a group of kids who were experimenting with drugs, and he was using marijuana and mushrooms by the time he was 16, followed soon thereafter by harder drugs like cocaine, heroin and fentanyl.
The fentanyl had been pressed into green pills labelled as Oxycontin, but the difference was quickly apparent — and the teen was hooked.
MOM, I HAVE A PROBLEM
It was a weekend afternoon in 2013 when Jansen remembers her son coming to her and saying: "Mom, I have a problem. I'm addicted to fentanyl."
That day was the beginning of a two-year nightmare that ultimately ended in tragedy.
During her testimony, Jansen recalled the first steps in seeking help for her son — and the dawning realization that she was essentially on her own.
"I called everywhere," she said — government ministries, hospitals, counsellors, the family doctor. "I found out very quickly there was no one-stop shop where I could find out what the options were to get help for my son. I had to turn over all the rocks myself."
In December 2013, Brandon entered the first of his many stays in rehab, but left a few weeks later so that he could use drugs again.
Meanwhile, he was also cycling through the justice system following a June 2013 assault charge. Over the next two years, he would also be charged with another assault, theft and multiple breaches of his release conditions.
And so began a vicious cycle: Jansen would arrange a treatment centre bed for Brandon so that he could be released from the North Fraser Pre-trial Centre in Port Coquitlam, where she said his size made him a target for gang members. After a brief stay at rehab, Brandon would leave, either after being discharged for having used drugs or on his own accord so that he could score the next hit. Jansen would then contact police to have him arrested for being in breach of his release conditions — anything to get him off the streets using drugs — and she would start back at the beginning.
SEARCH FOR HELP
The process of finding those dozen or so treatment centres was never an easy one, Jansen said.
Many are based on a 12-step program that didn't sit well with Brandon, who had always struggled with authority. They discovered others where drug use was rampant. Some offered little more than a bed and once-a-week group therapy led by a recovering addict who was just a few months sober.
"Brandon called them 'hotels with perks,'" said his father, Michael Jansen.
Security was often minimal, making it easy for clients to come and go, and for drugs to be delivered.
Almost always, the cost was astronomical. Over two years, Jansen spent more than $200,000 on her son's rehab.
"I kept thinking if I just kept at it, I would find the right treatment centre to help my son," she said.
On March 1, 2016, Brandon went to the Sunshine Coast Health Centre in Powell River, a facility that promised individualized care with a focus on wellness and health.
He was happy there, Jansen said, but in less than a week, he told her the cravings were back, that the fentanyl was calling his name.
The facility's doctor wasn't licensed to prescribe suboxone, a treatment similar to methadone that can wean a patient from a fentanyl addiction, but they were assured other medications could be substituted and Brandon would be watched closely for signs of a relapse.
In the early morning hours of March 7, two days before his 21st birthday, Brandon collapsed on the floor of his room. Without the opioid antidote naloxone on hand, efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The coroner's inquest into Brandon's death was announced in November 2016 amid reports of the rapidly growing number of illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C. (there were 744 such deaths from January to November 2016, a 70% increase over the same period in 2015). The inquest is not meant to assign blame but to determine how Brandon died and how similar deaths can be prevented in the future.
Among Jansen's recommendations is the establishment of a government agency where addicts, their friends and family can access reliable resources to get help.
"When you're diagnosed with cancer, you call the cancer agency and you get lots of support, guidance, but that's not the case with addiction," Jansen said, adding other health care crises have been met with a much more robust, co-ordinated effort.
She emphasized that treatment centres must have the appropriate medication, antidotes and professional expertise to treat particular addictions; that facilities follow stringent security protocols to protect vulnerable clients, including searching all belongings; and that the entire industry be government-regulated.
The inquest is also expected to hear from other clients as well as staff at the Sunshine Coast facility, first responders who treated Brandon and interviewed staff, medical experts in toxicology, and addictions experts.
Above all, Jansen wants to see whatever recommendations come out of the inquest implemented effectively.
"I hope the jury understands that Brandon was full of life… but the drugs took him and ultimately fentanyl was making his decisions for him," Jansen said. "I tried desperately to find some treatment facility that could help him overcome that, but the reality was not one could help him."
spayne@tricitynews.com
@spayneTC
