TRUE STORY: Jordan Cole Lunsford

After using heroin once, Jordan died.  He was a good kid, a happy kid, a kid that was going through a rough moment and his bad choice and the company he kept that night was a recipe for his death.

Let me begin by telling you a little about my son Jordan Cole Lunsford. Jordan was a very loud, happy and loving kiddo. He never met a stranger, and was always loved by all that met him. Jordan began struggling with mental illness at a young age. At the age of 14 years, Jordan was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder.  

Though he had many obstacles he never gave up. When Jordan turned 17 years, he decided he was going to move out.  Unfortunately, at that time we learned that there was nothing we could do about that, he was considered an adult by the State of Missouri. Jordan began staying with individuals that participated in illegal drug use and drinking. He and I spoke every day and I encouraged him daily to come home. Jordan then decided he wanted to move to Texas to stay with his biological father that he had not lived with since the age of 2. This did not last long and he decided to come back to Missouri and still would not move home because he did not want to live by the rules of the house. 

 On October 7, 2014 our 3-month-old daughter (Jordan’s baby sister) Gracie Meshelle Clodfelter passed away at daycare from SIDS. This of course sent our family into complete devastation. Jordan immediately came home and stood by us and decided he wanted to get his life back on track. This went well for a little over 2 weeks and Jordan once again left wanting to stay at his friends. Jordan and I spent many nights talking on the phone, and I continued to beg him to come home and finally he agreed to come stay the night on November 13, 2014. After I got off work I went to pick him up and he was not where he agreed to be. I messaged him, called the home he was at and was informed by a lady that he left that morning with some other individuals and she would tell him to call me. I had no idea at that exact moment my husband Sheldon (Jordan’s stepdad that has raised him) and 4-year-old daughter were actually face to face with Jordan at Wal-Mart and Jordan told them he would be to the house later. Jordan hugged his baby sister for the last time at that moment. My husband came home and BBQ’d on the grill, we made our plates (including Jordan’s) and waited. Jordan never came.  After losing my daughter, I had not slept well at all but for some reason that night I slept and I slept hard enough I did not hear my phone (it only vibrates when charging it doesn’t ring).

Jordan had called at 12:38 am and left a voicemail. It was nothing outrageous, basically just apologizing that he lost track of time and he was sorry and he loved us all. I would not hear that voicemail until I was standing in the ER.

Shocking Overdose

At approx. 6:50 am, everything went crazy. My phone began vibrating nonstop, someone was banging on my door, the dog was barking. I answered the phone to hear a woman ask if I was Jordan Lunsford’s mom. I replied yes and she said something had happened and Jordan was in the emergency room. Then my phone began beeping. It was my husband. He said something happened to Jordan and his friend Dan was on his way to come take me to the hospital and he would meet us there. Then there was a Cop at the door who informed me something happened to my son I needed to get to the hospital as soon as possible. But none of these people would tell me what happened. A million thoughts ran through my head, but the one that never entered my mind was the one they would tell me as I ran through those same hospital doors that I ran through only 5 weeks prior to my daughter. They said he overdosed on heroin.

I just knew they were confused my son didn’t do heroin, he smoked weed. He ONLY smoked weed…. I ran into his room to find him hooked up to machines, lifeless, just perfectly still. He wouldn’t respond to me. My baby boy was laying there and there was nothing I could do. On November 15, 2014 at 3:00 pm, he was looked at by a doctor and told Jordan was declared brain dead. My child, my baby boy had died. At that moment I had to walk across the hall, look at all my family (including his older brother), friends and people who had not left our side since this began and say Jordan would not make it, and that he was only being kept alive by machines.  All in the same breath we also announced that we would be allowing Jordan’s organs to be donated to save others’ lives. That night I stayed with my beautiful son until the organ donation crew came and I walked him out to an ambulance and kissed his warm face for the last time, then I watched them take him away. The next time I kissed his face it was cold.

Jordan was surrounded by people all older than he was the night he overdosed. The thing is they were more concerned about if they would get into trouble than if my son would live. They drove Jordan over 20 miles to a hospital, passing fire stations, EMS stations, stores etc. Where they took him and dropped him off. The ER staff worked on Jordan for 40 minutes before getting his heart to work.  Needless to say, during that time his brain had went without oxygen too long and had died.

The Aftermath

It is now going on 17 months after losing Jordan. Not a single day goes by that I don’t feel lost. I struggle daily to find my way through whatever obstacles I am handed. I no longer feel a desire to do anything in the business world except advocate. I do all I can to get into schools, businesses, town meetings etc. To share our story in hopes to help others recognize the problem we are facing. The thing is YES drugs have been an issue for as long as I can remember, but there is one thing that is different today. That difference is that there is a drug called heroin, it is easily accessible and it is killing our youth. Jordan was not a heroin addict, he picked it up for the first time in a moment of depression after losing his sister and he died. He did not put a needle in his arm, he did a line and he died! There are so many misconceptions in the world to how heroin or any other drug can kill a person that kids don’t even realize what they are doing, the chances they are taking. We have to educate people and truly let them know the dangers. As hard as it is to share Jordan’s story I know I must. I have to be the REAL face of what heroin can do. My son was a good kid, a happy kid, a kid that was going through a rough moment and his bad choice and the company he kept that night was a recipe to his death.

Brigit Kleen pled guilty, was charged with distribution, and sentenced on August 11, 2015 to 8 years in prison.  Brigit is 37 yrs old.