PORTLAND, Ore. — Overdoses are becoming increasingly common throughout Portland. As of Thursday, police officials said 137 people have died from overdoses in 2023.
But on Monday, Annette Johnson prevented another person from becoming a statistic. On her way to work, Johnson noticed a man hunched over in an awkward position.
"I just, I couldn't help myself,” Johnson said. “I watched a bunch of people walk by him, some staring straight at him."
Johnson said she walked over and nudged him, but there was no response.
"There was something not right. Like it's generally the sign of an overdose. Especially from what I know personally," Johnson said.
Johnson spent 11 years on the streets of Portland while dealing with her own addiction to opioids. She struggled with addiction for 24 years. Her first addiction was to meth when she was just 14 yeas old.
While she is now in recovery, more people continue to battle addictions.
"In 2022 we had 155 people whose lives, whose promise was taken from them by drugs,” Portland Police Bureau Captain Jake Jensen said. “And so far this year we're on track to far surpass that."
Johnson was close with one of the 137 people who have already died this year.
Ryan Williams was her daughter’s boyfriend. Williams died from an overdose two weeks ago. Johnson said her daughter is also addicted to fentanyl and has been using it for a year.
Johnson can relate to her daughter's struggle. Four years ago, she lost the love of her life, Jessc Parish, to an overdose. Fentanyl had been mixed with heroin.
Johnson said she wished someone had been there to help the people closest to her, who have died from overdose.