A woman lost her husband, home, and job after her son died of a drug overdose at a college in Manchester

A woman lost her home, husband, and job after her son died of a drug overdose in a college room in Manchester.

Daniel Redman’s parents and siblings were completely unaware that they were taking regular medication at Manchester Metropolitan University until they were called to A & E on February 19, 2016.

The Redman family in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, watched him for three days on a life support system, after which Daniel was said to be crazy, the machine was switched off, and he became a multi-organ donor. ..

The shock and emotional consequences of his death proved too much for the split mother Marie and Daniel’s father after the mother’s sorrow made it impossible to work as a nurse. Mirror report..

After the divorce, Marie gave Daniel a new surname, so she always remembered her 20-year-old son.

Daniel, who found an abnormal mixture of substances in his system at autopsy, was convinced that he could be here if the drug was properly regulated, and Marie is now seeking amendments to the law. ..

“We didn’t know it completely. We didn’t know anything until we overdose,” Marie told Miller Online.

“It was like the grenades disappearing in my life.”

Nearly 4,400 people died from drug overdose in England and Wales in 2019, according to government data. This is the highest record since the record began in 1993, increasing by 52% in 10 years.

Marie had no reason to believe that Daniel was included in these statistics.

The only sign that Daniel, who Marie described as a “very kind boy,” was in trouble was his joyful recklessness as a kid.

On a memorable occasion at the age of 13, he overcame his family’s glass greenhouse, forgot his keys and entered the house.

Daniel caught glandular fever during his A level, which led him to fail the exam and spend most of the six months in his room.

One day, when she came out and announced her plans to redo her exams and study economics at college, Marie was overjoyed that she was improving her life.

For five months in Manchester Met, he regularly returned home 80 miles to meet his family.

“There was no change in his appearance or behavior,” Marie said.

“He always takes such pride in his appearance, loves expensive designer clothes, always smells beautiful with his designer scent, and his stunning reddish-brown hair is always well styled. I did.

“He was at home for a reading week and returned to college the day before we received the call.

“I was always chatting with him the night before when he was lying in bed.

“He stared straight at me and assured me that he was happy in Manchester, was going in the right direction and was doing well.

“In less than 24 hours, I was forced to confront the reality that it was all a lie and a false organization.”

During her teens, Marie regularly talked to her children about drugs and was convinced she knew how to keep them safe.

With Daniel as her third child, she was confident that he was fine and could talk to her if he was interested.

“As far as we know, he was fine,” Marie said.

“His behavior hasn’t changed, he’s well dressed and smart, but he kept it very secret from us.

“It was only by talking to his friends that I knew what was going on.

“His terry and game consoles are gone. He was selling everything in Uniroom.

“I also found that he had an overdraft of £ 2,000.”

Marie believes that Daniel took his first medicine at a music festival when he was a teenager, but began taking it regularly when he entered college where ketamine and cocaine were readily available.

What began as a social activity ended with Daniel being isolated in his room, his girlfriend later told Marie.

In the weeks leading up to his death, Daniel told his girlfriend that he was “confused” and had a habit of not telling anyone.

The day before his overdose, Manchester Met sent an email to Daniel telling him he was off course.

In an inquest, his family was told that Daniel had died of an accidental overdose of the prescription-only analgesic dihydrocodeine and had small amounts of diazepam and amitriptyline in his system.

“I don’t know if he knows what he’s taking, but probably not,” Marie said.

“The medicines I bought on the street are not labeled.

“We are all surprised that we didn’t really know what was going on.

“There were four adults in our home and none of us knew anything about this secret life.

“Daniel kept his two lives very separate and none of us had any doubts.

“I feel like I’m walking around with my eyes closed.”

Marie may feel that for years after her death, if the drug was decriminalized and regulated, Daniel wasn’t accidentally overdose and could talk to her about his problems. I am sticking to her belief.

“I grew up listening to all the publicity about how vulgar drugs are from various governments, and I thought it was someone else’s problem,” she continued.

“Regulation is the only way. We need to get drugs to use health problems, not criminal justice.

“When Daniel died, seven people died a day in the UK, now twelve.

“People have this stereotype that drug users are in the corner leaving scars on their arms, which can happen to any child.

“When I was a kid, we drank alcohol and smoked, but now they can get drugs and they are curious about what they are doing.”

The cost of Marie’s loss of her son was considerable.

“I couldn’t go back to the nurse, which sacrificed me my marriage,” she said.

“My husband couldn’t accept the drug and killed the child. He wanted to tell people that Daniel died of cardiac arrest.

“He didn’t want people to mention drugs.

“By lying, he was able to pretend. I was left here with my two sons who had lost their brother and father.

“My middle son emigrated to the United States in the same year. Within a year, five of us were at home, but now we have two.

“I had to leave the house where Daniel grew up. Now I live in an apartment.

“I can’t recognize my life. I work in the same ward as usual, but because I work as a housekeeper, my income is much lower.”

When she’s not working, Marie spends her time campaigning for Anyone’s Child, a charity that drives drug law reform.

She said: “I refuse to be ashamed of my son. I don’t want him to be just another statistic.

“Daniel’s life was precious. It had only begun when it was shortened.

“I came to Who’s kid And that was a great relief for me. I faced the truth that I didn’t want to face.

“People said Daniel was unlucky and did it only once, but that wasn’t true.

“It was pretty cathartic in the face of the truth. I’m doing this for Daniel. I’m doing it for him.

“I’m proud to help him keep the safety of other children.”

Health poverty behavior Is another organization that is driving reforms under the UK drug law.

Tess Woolfenden, head of policy for the charity, said: “If the UK legally regulates drugs, we can prevent such a tragic story.

“In the UK, more than 3 million people use drugs, but current legislation makes it very difficult for people to test for drugs to stay safe.

“Drug criminalization is an archaic policy that always puts the health and life of more people at risk than it saves.”

“Our ideas remain with Daniel’s family and friends,” said a spokesman for Manchester Metropolitan University.

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