Arizona woman saves 2 people by using NARCAN

PHOENIX - Last year, the Arizona Department of Health Services said 26 children, 17 or younger, died due to an opioid overdose.

This year, two local teens were saved from becoming part of this data, thanks to a courageous act by a peer. It's inspiring, and a great teaching moment for young people everywhere.

Getting trained on how to use NARCAN can mean the difference between life and death.

Marie Rawls, a first-year ASU student, wants to be a nurse one day, and her studies recently brought her through NARCAN training.

"I was taking my medical assistant class, and we usually get certified. I got CPR certified, and then we got trained for NARCAN by Terros. Honestly, my first reaction was, 'hopefully I never have to use this,'" she said.

She did end up using it after she realized two high school boys were overdosing on fentanyl at a party.

This illustration photo shows a student holding Naloxone, a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY / AFP) (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

"I had only been there for like ten minutes. I noticed these kids were falling over. I just thought maybe they were drunk or something. I was like, 'Hopefully somebody's taking them home.' Then, I hear screaming. Somebody's like, ‘We need to leave, we need to leave.’ So, I was following the crowd and I saw one boy lying completely passed out on the floor unconscious, and the other boy was slumped over," Rawls recalled.

She remembered the NARCAN in her car and took action.

Dave Schad trained Rawls for the use of NARCAN through Terros Health, and says finding out about her heroic deed brought him a lot of pride.

Marie Rawls

"As an instructor, when you teach, and you have somebody provide what you teach, and they save two lives, it goes and it hits you like it's an honor to actually know someone who actually used your training," said Schad, an emergency management specialist for Terros Health.

Terros has partnered with the state to provide NARCAN training and distribution to schools across Arizona.

According to a study published in the International Journal of Drug Policy in 2023, Arizona has the second-most fentanyl seizures in the country. The Arizona Department of Education says the state is an epicenter for the issue, but it can also be an epicenter for change in youth education.

"The best thing is if they go to a place like Terros, as Marie did, get training on how to use the NARCAN, get NARCAN to have available, so you can have other lives saved, which I think would be terrific," Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne said.

Rawls encourages every young person to learn how to use NARCAN.

"If you're going into the medical field or not, everybody is taking stuff they're not supposed to or something's being slipped into your drink," Rawls said. "Honestly, it's better to have the knowledge
than not to, because I never thought that on a random Saturday that I'd be saving two peoples' lives."

NARCAN lasts 36 months after distribution. The best news is that you can't harm someone by administering NARCAN, so it's always worth doing if you suspect someone is overdosing.