Woman, 22, candidly reveals why she’s refusing to ‘unplug’ her drug addict mom after an overdose left her on a ventilator with limited brain activity – despite knowing that she will ‘have to care for her for the rest of her life’

A young woman has opened up about the heartbreaking reality she faces every day after refusing to ‘disconnect’ her drug-addicted mother from her ventilator – which she has been using since suffering an overdose in September 2023, leaving her in an anoxic state. brain damage.

Amanda Lise, 22, explained in a now-viral video that her 45-year-old mother Carol overdosed on fentanyl cocaine in September 2023. limited brain activity.

“She was found alive by one of her ‘friends,’” she explained in a TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 13.5 million times.

“He gave her CPR and they rushed her to the hospital.”

Amanda Lise, 22, explained in a now-viral video that her 45-year-old mother Carol overdosed on fentanyl with cocaine in September 2023.

Amanda emphasized that her mother, who has struggled with addiction since 2017, can hear her talk and know when she is being touched because she moves in response, despite her condition, which was caused by her brain being deprived of oxygen for more than five minutes .

“When you talk to her, she blinks and moves her eyes,” she described. “So she’s not a complete vegetable.”

Amanda, who has two younger siblings who she described as her “world,” said her mother’s limited brain activity was one of the reasons she didn’t take her off the ventilator when she was first admitted to hospital.

“There are other cases where you unplug someone, and that person continues to breathe on their own and live on their own,” she explained.

“I also took that into account when I decided to unplug,” she continued.

“You know, imagine you decide to let your mother live and you unplug her and she’s alive and breathing,” she noted. “How strange that would feel.”

“God made a choice to bring my mother back to me, my family and my siblings,” she continued. “I’m not God, these doctors are not God – (if) it was her time, it would have been her time and he wouldn’t have brought her back to us.”

Amanda added what her husband said to her the first time her mother overdosed was when she was struggling with her decision.

“(My husband) said the decision I make will stay with me for the rest of my life,” she said.

Amanda said many people told her what to do at the time, but her husband reminded her that ultimately she is the one who has to deal with the consequences.

“I’m the one who will have to live with my decision in 10 years,” she said. “That may seem selfish to anyone, but I can’t live with the thought that I could have been the reason why my mother didn’t have a fighting chance.

Amanda, who has two younger siblings, said her mother’s limited brain activity was one of the reasons she didn’t take her off the ventilator when she was first admitted to hospital.

TikTok users showed their support for Amanda’s decision and her mother Carol

“My mother deserves a chance to fight and if anyone should give her that chance,” she said.

Amanda said she feels she made the right decision, and her mother’s doctors have told her she is doing well medically — “other than the fact that she has a brain injury.”

Ultimately, Amanda said her mom is a great mom, and she owes it to her to “help her and not turn her back on her.”

“She’s a great mom, she’s always been a great mom. And she was my mother before drugs. So she’s not just addicted to me,” she said emotionally.

Thousands of comments poured in, expressing their support for Amanda’s situation.

‘I’m here with my dad in the same situation!!! You showed 100% the truth! People won’t know until they’ve experienced it like we did!!’ one TikTok user responded.

“I lost my mother in a similar way to addiction. It’s so hard to deal with the highs and lows when you’re wondering why you weren’t worth as much as their addiction,” someone else chimed in.

“You don’t have to explain it to anyone,” declared another.