True Story"My Medication Killed My Daughter"

[realitybites4]

Two years ago, a few days after Christmas, as my daughters, Lexie, 10, and Lidia, 7, cleaned their room and my 2-year-old twins, Chloe and Kevin, watched TV, I read an email that my husband had sent from Iraq, where he was stationed with the Air Force. When I turned around minutes later, the twins were gone. I found Chloe in the kitchen looking very pale; Kevin was lying down in my bedroom, also looking pale and drowsy. Chloe looked at me and said, "Mommy, I tired." I figured she had low blood sugar-- Lidia is hypoglycemic-- so I sat her at the kitchen table and gave her some chocolate milk and cereal. All of a sudden, Chloe fell off the chair, passed out. Then the panic hit: I discovered an open bottle of Clonidine, a high blood pressure medication, on the floor.

I kept my medicine on the top shelf of a cabinet, where I thought it was out of reach. But Chloe and Kevin found a way to climb onto the counter, open the bottle, and swallow the pills. I yelled for Lexie to call 911. Kevin was conscious but Chloe wasn't, so with the help of the 911 operator, I gave her mouth-to-mouth until the ambulances arrived. Luckily, the EMTs were able to give Kevin an injection of liquid charcoal, which counters the effects of an overdose. Since a person has to be conscious to receive the shot, they couldn't administer one to Chloe. Eventually, both children were comatose.

After two days of praying for her to revive, we were told that Chloe's kidneys were failing, and a priest was called in to give her last rites. My husband was already on his way back from Iraq, but he didn't make it until a few hours after Chloe died. When the priest told me that she was in God's hands, I screamed and cursed at him. I'm a religious person, but I couldn't understand what kind of God would take away my baby.

When Chloe left us, it was like she gave all the strength she had to her brother, because he made it out of his coma. Still, I was utterly devastated by Chloe's death, and I blamed myself, even though my husband and kids didn't. What if I had installed a lock on the medicine cabinet? What if I hadn't been on the computer? I wept every day for months. One day, Lexie asked, "If God is supposed to be nice, why did he take Chloe away?" A few nights later, Lidia attempted to answer her sister's question. "Maybe something bad was going to happen to Daddy so God took Chloe to save him," she said. I couldn't believe something so deep could come from a 7-year-old.

When my husband had to go back to Iraq last July, I realized that I had to stop living a life of what-ifs. With their father deployed, I couldn't let my children down. Together, we got through Christmas, the anniversary of Chloe's death, her birthday, and Mother's Day. And we've learned not to take one another for granted-- we hug and say, "I love you" every moment we can. Some families break up over tragedies, so I'm thankful that we're still together.
I like to believe that Chloe's death gave me a higher purpose-- to save other children from a similar fate. I've written to my congressman, encouraging a law that requires locks on medicine cabinets. Now, I make sure to lock up all of my medicines. I even find myself going up to strangers and telling them my story. As hard as it is to relive, it's something that I feel I need to do-- even if it keeps just one family from going through what we have.

Billie Lombardo, 38
Colorado Springs, CO
As told to Nicole Yorio

[chi-town guy]

I first want to say how sorry i am for your lost, and thank you for also serving our country by sharing your husband to protect us. PPL forget that freedom is not always free. I am glad you have come to some terms with your lost of Chloe and you were able to turn anger into understanding or for you a higher purpose to share. We are quick to blame God when something bad happens, but he some how turns it into something meaningful. I didn't know where i would get the strenght to help my wife deliver our full term still born baby girl and there was a delay in the delivery and i kept asking God why and what did we do. While waiting on the delivery, some close women friend's came and spoke some words of wisdom to my wife and i was outside for a moment to get a second wind, i felt the Lord speak these words to me; "Of All The Children In The World, I Choose Your Baby To Be With Me Today".  I walked back in the hospital feeling proud of wife, baby girl and myself that God picked us that day and my wife was so lifted up by the word those women spoke that we were able to get thru the next very difficult days. I hope you will get to realize that higher purpose to save children by congress passing a bill using Chloe name to help save countless of children from sickness or overdose from unsafe medicines.
Best Wishes to your family and a safe return of your husband.

ps. My wife delivered again about 14 months later with twins, a boy and a girl, so people said we were given a "double blessing" or "double portion"---lol.

[riovalleyvixen]

God be with you.  Words can't express any of how you must feel.  By sharing this with us all, I must tell you that I, myself, got up, out of my bed, and put up ALL medicines that I felt could be found by my darling granddaughters ages 5 and 3, (and loves their Granny's step stools to reach things with).
I will pray for you tonight.  God bless you and your family.

[notmenow!]

I am so sorry for your loss. Locking medication up has been a thing I've been doing for quite sometime. Especially controlled substances. I had my carpets cleaned about 6 months ago and allowed one of the employees use the rest room. Well shorty after they left I went to the bathroom and opened my medicine chest. Well you guested it half the pain medication was missing and 30 xanax where gone, I called the company right away known SSCC . And they more or less made excuses for the employess, I told them I was calling the police and I demanded the employees be given urine analysis drug tests. Well to make a long story short the police took a report and made me feel as if I was the to blame. Its been six months and I have never heard a thing even after a put a stop pay on the check. That was a ddifficult month trying to get by on half my medication. I did not call my doctor and report the theft as I was told by friend that this was one of the oldest tricks in the books. Telling your Doctor your medication was stolen or missing, It was only 13 days until my next visit with my DR. so I toughed it out. Rather than have him label me as a drug addict. I bought a small fireproff safe with a combo. That I now keep under my bed,
Moma I am so sorry for your loss, when things like this happen it makes us question our faith in our highpower, I just have one question for you and I am asking you this with the utmost respect.
Why did't you have child resisdent caps on your bottle. A good pharmacy will always ask if you want child proff caps or not. But if you didnt have them on do not blame your self. As I mentioned the pharmacy is the ones that make this tragic mistake as I,m sure they were aware you had children.

I dont know your name but I will pray for you tonight. Especially for the safe return of you Husband if he has been sent back to Iraq. God Bless you mam,

[Desperate01]

OMG. And I thought I was having a hard time. I'm sooo very sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what life has been like for u. I have a little boy, and would never be able to deal with that. you are a very strong person in my eyes. my prayers are with u and your family

[migsufferer]

I read your post an hour ago and I've just gone through the entire house and put all medications in the locked, combo and key, safe that is on the top shelf of my closet.  My daughter is 3 and I have one on the way.  Thank you for your story, it's not in vein.  You should do the talkshow circuit.

[blueyz]

There are no words...I am sorry for your loss.  It makes me pause and think what I have in my cabinets and where for when I have my nephew over.  Such a tragedy, but I pray you find peace and forgiveness.  

Thank you for sharing your story.

[hillary5]

I am sooo sorry for your loss. I'm reading this story and bawling my eyes out while watching my 3 & 4 yr old eat lunch and watch cartoons.  I know I will definatley be getting a lock or a safe to put all of our meds in from now on.  Sounds like you have a wonderful family and you are a very strong person. How long is your husband in iraq for?  That must be really hard.  Again, sorrry for your loss and thankyou for your story, it will definately make a lot of people take more precautions w/there medications.  God bless