A devastated mum has released a photo of her son in hospital to warn others of the dangers of taking anxiety pills.
Angela Maddison Hutchinson shared the picture of her son Callum after he took Xanax, which he’d bought on the black market.
Callum Maddison Shaw, 22 was taken to the critical care unit of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on Sunday after his 16-year-old brother Mason found him collapsed at the bottom of the stairs in his mother’s house.
He was not breathing and was considered too ill for the intensive care unit.
His sister Shaunna, 26, told Belfast Live:
We are lucky that he is alive. Mason found Callum collapsed and not breathing. He was terrified but he managed to get help and Callum was rushed to the Royal.
They had to intubate him to get him breathing. We thought he was dead and the doctors were not able to reassure us he’d make it. They couldn’t say either way. They said we were in a waiting game and the outcome was unsure because his condition was critical.
Shaunna said Callum was given ‘drip after drip’ of fluids, and that his head started to swell up like a balloon leaving her son unrecognisable.
She said:
It was awful to sit and watch him. He looked so awful we kept mum out of the room but eventually the swelling started to go down and after a day he was transferred to the intensive care unit and he stated to get a bit better but he was still on life support.
He had had a tough time about seven weeks ago after a relationship broke up and he says he got Xanax tablets to try to give him a wee lift. But he nearly got a wee lift in a coffin because he nearly died.
If Mason had not found Callum when he did or if the Royal had not given him the care they did, he would be dead, we know that for sure – and that would have killed all of us.
People need to think before they do this nonsense. They might think that life is hard but things can be fixed and it’s always better than being dead. We are relieved but we are angry at Callum for being so daft. I hear the fella who sold him the tablets is in hiding. He cannot hide forever. He cannot get away with this.
Callum is now back at home with his family and getting stronger.
Mum, Angela told UNILAD:
Callum is recovering and he is one lucky wee boy.
He said that it all feels real to him by reading about himself where as before it hadn’t sunk in so I’m hoping it’ll help some other young child by seeing Callum’s story. I want them to know the dangers of this drug.
Stay safe.
