Delaware mom rescued once with naloxone, overdoses again and can't be saved this time
Brittany HornIn late July, Wanda Foster was near death in a vacant Dover lot.
Volunteers handing out naloxone, the overdose-reversing medication, found her unresponsive and alone. Dr. Sandra Gibney administered the lifesaving medication and the woman, who identified herself then just as Wanda, sprang back to life.
Later that day, she walked down Governors Avenue with a friend, more doses of naloxone in their hands.
But the 35-year-old was taken off life support last week after overdosing again. Her 15-year-old daughter, Deleon, said she was found outside a home she was living in along New Street in Dover, but too much time had passed to save her life.
She was pronounced brain dead at the hospital and died on Sept. 5, her daughter said.
"She was a really good person," Deleon said quietly. "I'm going to remember how she was always there and all the times we spent together."
Wanda Foster adds to Delaware's startling total of 202 fatal overdoses this year, according to the state's latest numbers released Tuesday — but her story is not unique.
Many people who fatally overdose have previously overdosed, according to family members who have lost loved ones to addiction.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates between 40 to 60 people suffering from substance use disorders will relapse, similar to statistics for other chronic illnesses.
Last year, first responders administered naloxone 2,714 times to a total of 1,906 patients, meaning that some patients received more than one dose or were revived multiple times.
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Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long said a law enforcement officer told the Behavioral Health Consortium, a group which she helps lead for the state, that they returned to one home 13 different times for overdoses.
"It's about getting people in treatment, not just responding with our Narcan efforts," she said Monday as Gov. John Carney signed into effect three separate pieces of legislation that take aim at curbing the opioid and heroin epidemic. Narcan is a brand of nalaxone.
Part of those efforts include creating the nation's first Overdose System of Care, which would connect those who have overdosed with peer counselors and access to treatment.
A working group within the Behavioral Health Consortium will be responsible for designing what this system of care looks like and helping to implement it.
In the meantime, Delaware continues to lose citizens to drug overdoses — about one a day according to this year's death toll.
Family and friends will say goodbye to Wanda Foster on Monday at Bennie Smith Funeral Home. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. and a service will directly follow at 11 a.m.
Foster had lived in Delaware since her parents moved from Massachusetts to Dover when she was younger. Her daughter, Deleon, said she loved playing sports, including basketball, track and volleyball.
The mother and daughter would go shopping together or out to eat. Deleon no longer lived with Wanda due to her drug use, but the teen said her mother was always there for her.
Wanda's friend, Michelle "Nikki" Smith, was shocked to hear the news about her friend. The two met in Dover back in 2003 and their children quickly became close. A friendship between the mothers only grew stronger, she said.
That's why last week's news was so hard to stomach. Though Smith said she knew Foster to drink, she had no idea she was using drugs.
"She was always bubbly, always dancing, always smiling. That was just Wanda," she said. "I never saw a bad day with Wanda."
For those struggling with addiction, relapse and the pull of heroin is difficult to fend off.
And last week, unlike the time Gibney found Wanda in late July, no amount of naloxone or second chances could save her.
Where to get addiction help
New Castle County hotline: 800-652-2929
Kent and Sussex counties hotline: 800-345-6785
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Contact Brittany Horn at (302) 324-2771 or bhorn@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @brittanyhorn.