Narcan saved my life

I died last summer. I'm not kidding; last August, I injected heroin laced with fentanyl and stopped breathing.

Fortunately, the paramedics that found me had Narcan, a drug which reverses the effects of heroin. I started breathing again, and am happy to report that I am now heroin free.

It almost didn't happen though. Last fall, Gov. Rauner blocked a measure that would allocate funding for fire departments to get Narcan - which is expensive and in short supply. Luckily, the bipartisan heroin task force, led by my own state Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, was able to persuade the legislature into an agreement that overrode this veto and helped give the paramedics the Narcan that saved my life.

I am writing this as a public thank you to the legislature and most especially the heroin task force.

Jane Rutledges

Joliet