from the 2012 Rushford Annual Report
Seeing him today, 19-year-old Tim Harmon fits the stereotypical picture of health: rosy glow, strong arms from hours spent in the gym and a confident gait.
But on the morning of October 19, 2011, Mary Ann Harmon discovered her son unresponsive.
“I found him face down in bed. He was cold and ashen. I yelled to him. No response. I could not feel a pulse, and he had just one breath every 10 to 12 seconds. I couldn’t pull him off the bed.” Mary Ann – a Registered Nurse – performed CPR, and ordered others in the house to call 9-1-1.
Tim had overdosed on a combination of drugs, including K2 (synthetic marijuana), cough syrup, and, most significantly, morphine.
In the five days that followed, Tim Harmon’s survival was in doubt. He was in a coma for the first 48 hours, having suffered from aspiration pneumonia and a collapsed lung.
“We are fortunate that he recovered fully without any cognitive defects,” Mary Ann said.
Upon his release from the hospital, Mary Ann and her husband, Justin, sent their son to rehab at Rushford at Stonegate in Durham, a residential facility, designed to treat adolescent males between the ages of 13 and 18.
Choosing a facility close to their Guilford home was important.
“If he had a problem, I wanted to be nearby and be involved in it and have people teach me about what was happening,” Mary Ann stated.
“I wanted a high quality facility nearby that treated the entire family. We found that in Rushford.”
“We were involved in Tim’s recovery through weekly family meetings,” Mary Ann noted. “Rushford staff communicated openly with us, some- times daily. That was so important.”
Recovery has not been easy for Tim, but both he and Mary Ann remain optimistic for Tim’s continued success. Mary Ann, however, noted that recovery is not a simple process.
“CPR was easy,” she said modestly. “Recovery is hard.”
As for the future, Tim is considering college classes, possibly to become a therapeutic recreation provider. As for advice he’d give others who might be dealing with substance use issues, Tim Harmon is wise beyond his years.
“Stop. Breathe. Ask for help,” Tim said.