Mother of teen who died of fentanyl overdose advocates for overdose prevention legislation

California State Senate Bill SB10 has spread further across the state and means a great deal of importance to one specific mother. Maya Gomes has more with the story.

California State Senate Bill SB10 is making its way to Sacramento. The bill, brought forward by state senator Dave Cortese is nicknamed Melanie’s Law and aims to expand statewide fentanyl overdose prevention for high school students and children.

The law is named after 15-year-old Melanie Ramos, who died of a fentanyl overdose at Bernstein high school in Hollywood last September. In a press conference today outside LAUSD headquarters, Melanie’s mother Elena Perez announced she will testify on the bill’s behalf in Sacramento, and reflected on the loss of her daughter.

PEREZ: [TRANSLATED] It is a great pain, and each day my pain for Melanie grows. I do not want any family to go through what I am going through, and with this new law, many kids are going to be saved. It is going to be something for the kids.

Part of the changes proposed by SB10 includes providing NARCAN to all public schools, as well as providing treatment prevention for opioid overdoses. It will also provide education on the dangers and prevalence of fentanyl to students, their parents, and school faculty. Perez’s lawyer, Michael Carrillo spoke on the importance and impact of SB10 at the press conference.

CARRILLO: What we haven’t seen is any announcements from the L.A. Unified School District to Elena saying that we will act, we will protect future kids so that families do not have to suffer like Elena is suffering ... But now the state senator through SB ten will enact those changes which will force the district to take immediate action, will force the district to do something to protect kids.

As for Perez, the loss of her daughter has left an unfillable void in her life. She remembers her daughter as a wonderful person with big dreams for the future.

PEREZ: [TRANSLATED] She had a lot of desire to study. She was always very happy, and she had dreams. She had a dream of going to the army ... She was a very very pretty girl, very beautiful, with a good heart. Very noble, and all the people that were in her periphery knew how my girl was.

While her pain will never fade, Perez hopes that Melanie’s Law will ensure no other families encounter the same.

PEREZ: [TRANSLATED] It’s for my girl because no one did anything for her. If she had been here, if she were with me ... if they had paid more attention at school, we would not be here, and I hope no other parent has to go through what I am going through. That no parent lives with the pain that I am living with because it is forever. No one or nothing will bring back my daughter.

For Annenberg Media, I’m Maya Gomes.