With Quick Thinking in an Emergency, Shunda Garrett Saves a Life
Her Mother, Anita Garrett, is a Local Leader in ‘You Have the Power to Save a Life Campaign’
A Milwaukee woman, who lost her brother and cousin to drug overdoses, alertly rescued a man on Tuesday, May 13, with life-saving naloxone. Shunda Garrett, 36, spotted a car driving erratically at 61st and North and swerving into a pole. The school security guard parked and ran over to the car, where the driver was losing consciousness. Immediately, she suspected the driver had suffered an overdose. She dashed back to her car.
She grabbed naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, from the glove compartment and raced back to the vehicle. A female passenger in the car fled the scene. With the help of bystanders, the unconscious driver was pulled from the vehicle, and Garrett administered the naloxone nose spray that revived the driver. A short time later, police arrived at the scene.
Not coincidentally, Shunda’s mother, Anita Garrett, is engaged with the “You Have the Power to Save Lives” campaign, which aims to increase access to naloxone in Black communities, and she relayed the details of this rescue. “This is the exact message we are trying to convey,” she asserted, referring to the campaign. “I am so proud of Shunda. Everyone must realize that they need to have naloxone on them to save a life.”
Anita Garrett maintained that the campaign is working. “Shunda had training on how to use naloxone at her school, but this campaign has emphasized the importance of having naloxone with you,” Anita Garrett said. “That’s what she realized, and that’s the message we must also convey to the community. Getting training is helpful, but it alone won’t save a life; having the naloxone nasal spray and knowing how to use it can save lives.”
Back in 2011, when Shunda was 22, her brother Sammie Garrett, 31, overdosed on ecstasy pills contaminated with fentanyl when he was partying with friends. Naloxone wasn’t widely available when Sammie needed it. As the overdose unfolded, his friends were slow to call the authorities because they didn’t want to get arrested. A few years later, Romeo Thames, 35, who was Shunda’s cousin and Anita’s nephew, also fell victim to an overdose. Naloxone was there this time; someone had it in the car they drove in, but they didn’t know how to use it. Calling it a tragic loss, Anita Garrett said he died because the Black community hadn’t fully embraced naloxone as a lifesaver.
“Two people very close to me are gone because our community doesn’t know what to do when someone overdoses,” she said. “There is a fear and a stigma around nearly everything regarding drugs. I can’t stop people from using drugs, but I can educate my community about how to save lives with naloxone.”
Like others in the You Have the Power to Save Lives campaign, Anita Garrett is committed to saving lives. She shares her personal story in videos and interviews.