A young father thought he had stumbled upon good fortune when he discovered something unusual on the ground at his job, but he tragically passed away just minutes later.
Michael Lordson, 25, was performing his duties by sweeping the floors at a Nevada casino when he suddenly collapsed and lost his life, leaving behind two daughters, ages two and three.
Just moments before his death, he texted his girlfriend to share that he had found a pre-rolled joint while cleaning, sending a picture along with the message, declaring it must be his ‘lucky day’.
Sadly, he was discovered lifeless on the floor of Riverside Casino in Laughlin shortly thereafter on May 5.
Although no drugs were discovered on Michael at the scene, a coroner concluded that he succumbed to a fentanyl overdose, despite the fact that he was not known to use heroin.
His untimely death has left his family in shock, struggling to comprehend the circumstances surrounding his passing. Tamula Mercer, Michael’s 65-year-old grandmother, described the situation: “Michael didn’t do drugs.
“He would smoke pot – we smoked pot together because it’s legal – but he hated alcohol and didn’t like the way it made him feel. That’s why all this just blows my mind that he would die this way.”
She continued, mentioning the picture Michael had sent: “He showed a picture of a joint in his hand,” she said. “He found a pre-roll.” Tamula recounted that Michael had informed his coworkers about his find.
“I guess he told two of his other coworkers to come meet him and they’d smoke it together,” she said, adding, “They didn’t come and we don’t know if he smoked it.”
When emergency personnel arrived, neither the pre-rolled joint nor any other drugs were on his person.
Tamula, who had taken Michael into her care when he was just two years old, is now on a mission to prevent other families from experiencing the pain of losing a loved one to a random, fatal overdose.
She is preparing to speak at the 5th annual Lost Voices of Fentanyl Rally on October 18 at the Washington Monument, aiming to increase awareness about the potential dangers associated with the drug.
According to CDC data, more than 16,000 Americans lost their lives due to drug overdoses in the last year alone, a decrease from a peak of 31,000 in 2021.
Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid, often used in medical contexts as a painkiller that is 50 times stronger than traditional morphine. Illegally-manufactured fentanyl is becoming increasingly accessible on the street and can be smoked, snorted, or injected by users, many of whom may be unaware of their exposure to ‘fent’.
In light of the alarming rise in opioid-related fatalities over the past ten years, some experts have suggested that the strong opioid can be lethal simply through contact.
“It’s not like in the old days where you can go to a party and somebody’s passing around a joint and everybody’s cool,” Tamula said. “It can be on anything.
“All you got to do is touch something, and if it’s got fentanyl on it and you touch your mouth, eyes, or nose, it’ll kill you.”
The grieving grandmother shared that officials had informed her about these risks, with Tamula adding: “I talked to the mayor here in our town, and he said that all you have to do is be around it, and if it’s in the air and you smell it, it can kill you,” she said.
“He was telling me about a drug bust where the house was full of fentanyl, and all the detectives had to go 200 feet away while HAZMAT went in to clean it out.”
She further explained: “All you have to do is smell it and it goes up in your lungs and you’re gone.”
Though fentanyl is highly dangerous, the belief that mere proximity or accidental exposure can be fatal is inaccurate. Washington State’s Department of Health has refuted this misconception, stating: “It is unlikely you will overdose just from being around or helping someone who has smoked or used fentanyl. There is no evidence of first responders experiencing an overdose from secondhand fentanyl exposure.”
Amid reports that Halloween candy might be tainted with fentanyl, a common concern during this period, Tamula expressed her fears: “Now I go to the stores and I’m scared to touch things.
“I’m seeing where babies are dying just from touching it, and there are drugs that are stronger than fentanyl killing people.”
Additionally, Tamula disclosed that the stress of learning about fentanyl’s dangers had severely impacted her health, leading to a heart attack ‘due to the stress, the horrible grief that this has caused’.
Despite her personal loss and health challenges, Tamula remains committed to spreading awareness and preventing similar tragedies. She stated: “I just want, before other kids die, before other parents face what I’m facing, for people to know the dangers.
“If I could save one person, if we could save even one person.”