The hidden victims of the opioid crisis: the ones who lived
After overdoses left them with brain injuries and lasting complications, Americans are struggling to get proper care. Experts call it another epidemic
John-Bryan “JB” Jarrett was supposed to be fishing on the Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend, September 2020. Over dinner the night before, he told his mom, Jessica, he wanted to be on the water by 7am.
Jessica and JB were unusually close. When her work brought her to Austin, she stayed in his spare room; when the pandemic hit, she moved in for good. Despite a full life – a girlfriend, a job, a side hustle running an online thrift store – he welcomed her. They planted vegetables, packed meals for homeless people, watched true crime, even shared their phone locations.