Loved ones remember 32-year-old Cameron Bridges, who died of fentanyl poisoning
Update: 5/5/22
39-year-old Tiffany Ellen Wright, 39, the woman accused of selling fentanyl has been charged with one count of murder.
Original Report 5/4/22
Loved ones are remembering a Palm Desert resident Cameron Bridges, 32, who died of fentanyl poisoning late last month.
Bridges was found dead in his home on March 20th. Those close to him said he took a pill for pain relief, following a recent dental procedure. That pill was laced with fentanyl and ultimately killed him.
Kevin Camarillo, Bridges's partner, remembers finding him unresponsive in his bed. "You know I just kept trying to wake him up and tell him to get up,” Camarillo said.
Camarillo and Bridges were together for 10 years. “I always told him that he was my home. No matter where we were, no matter where we lived, he was my home. And I could go anywhere in the world as long as he was with me so I think that’s what I’m going to miss the most. Not feeling at home anymore.”
He said Bridges was a man who loved everyone around him, and they loved him back.
“Cam was honestly the life of the party. He was just very vibrant. I mean, he would light up a whole room all the time, everywhere we went and he made friends everywhere.”
Bridges died of fentanyl poisoning, but his family said he was not an addict.
“This can’t be happening," said Bridges's sister Heidi Rawlings. "My brother- this is not something you would have expected from my brother so I think everybody til this day is still shocked.”
The day before he died, Bridges was experiencing pain following a dental procedure. They said he took the drugs for temporary relief. “He reached out looking for something other than what he was prescribed. This person is somebody that he trusted, this was a friend,” Rawlings said.
His loved ones are now working to spread awareness. That no matter who you get pills or drugs from, whether it be a trusted friend or someone you know, they are still very dangerous and even deadly.
“There’s like this hidden vail of feeling safe when you are obtaining something from somebody that you know, somebody that you trust. And you know, in that moment, that’s when it really can turn into tragedy,” Rawlings added.
After losing Bridges to unexpected fentanyl poisoning, they want to make sure no one else has to go through the same thing.
“If we can save a life, even if it’s just one life. We want to make sure we’re able to do that,” said Camarillo.
Bridges’ loved ones are in the process of starting a nonprofit in his name. It's to educate youth and adults on the danger of opioids, and so those struggling with addiction can get help.
"Opening their eyes that to the fact there is no trusted source and you can love your friends," Rawling added, "You can trust your friends. But when it comes to drugs, it's just an absolute no, your life is not worth it."
It’s set to launch within the next 2 months.
