Grieving Ohio Mom Shares Story of Her Son's Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

Christina Daley fentanyl fentanyl overdose

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Sep 04, 12:32 am

Photo: (Photo : SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

Christina Daley is a caring and hardworking mom who has found another purpose in her life: to advocate for those who have lost loved ones to addiction.

Daley found her new calling after her 21-year-old son, Blake Amburgey, tragically passed away last October due to a fentanyl overdose.

The synthetic opioid is a prescription drug that is also made illegally. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is one of the most common drugs involved in overdose deaths in the United States.

Christina shares Blake's story

Daley said that she wants people to take the time to learn about her son's story. She said Blake was a really funny, smart kid when he was little. She added her son made friends very easily as everybody liked him, including adults.

When Blake got to middle school, though, he struggled with depression and anxiety. According to Daley, that eventually caused him to self-harm. She told WRBL that they tried to get him into counseling and things like that, but kids that age are not always open to that.

She explained that when her son was 15, Blake underwent surgery to have his appendix removed. She added that he sat at the hospital for at least 24 hours, almost two days before they took out his appendix. Her son was on a lot of morphine and stuff to dull the pain, and she felt like that was when something changed with him.

The mother read somewhere that kids who are given high painkillers at a young age can trigger something in their brains. She shared that Blake also had attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD), which can cause a person to have impulsive decision-making.

She said her son started smoking pot and drinking, which is where it all began. It then snowballed into abusing his ADD medication, even though she was trying to watch and supervise him.

Blake's situation worsened after receiving a DUI when he left his prom with Xanax in his system. Daley noted Blake, 17 at the time, did not remember anything about the night.

Daley devoted her time to spreading awareness about the fentanyl threat

The mother said her son's situation escalated when he got into a fight with his girlfriend and best friend. They took his car keys because Blake was drunk and refused to let him drive. The cops were called to the altercation, and he was sent to prison.

He completed drug programs in jail, and he was able to get a job when he came out. Unfortunately, his recovery took a sharp detour as he started drinking a lot once he turned 21. Daley then got a phone call that he was found dead of a drug overdose. She said that her son died from overdosing on cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Daley is now devoting her time to spreading awareness about the fentanyl epidemic. She shared the full story of her son for the first time on August 31 at the Heartbreak, Hope & Healing community event hosted by Be Hope Church and Greene County Public Health. The event celebrated International Overdose Awareness Day and Recovery Awareness Month.