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| The Eckhardt Family (via Facebook) |
How we “met” Connor Reid Eckhardt
We’ve written before about how much we can learn via our Facebook news feed, but the other day we were taken aback when our associate shared Connor Eckhardt’s story with us.
You see, our associate here in Tucson, AZ, was looking at her personal Facebook page and noticed something a friend had shared. This friend lives in Bethel, Alaska, so our associate assumed the news story had to do with Bethel or at least people from Bethel. That assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. The story had been shared by a person who lives in Loveland, CO. The shared story was about Connor Eckhardt.
Connor Eckhardt and his family are from Roseville, CA (near Sacramento); however, the news feed was telling the story of how Connor had passed away at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, CA.
Connor made a “deadly choice to use a product called K2, or spice…”
Connor was 19 years old and in recovery with eight months of sobriety. He was living in Orange County, CA, and he had spent the July 4th holiday with his parents and sisters. According to the Daily Pilot article:
Connor took a hit of spice with a friend on a Saturday night in Orange County. He later fell asleep.
At midnight, the rest of his family, who live near Sacramento, landed in Puerto Rico for what they thought would be a two-week vacation. But they learned several hours later that Connor was in a Santa Ana hospital and were back at the airport soon after. Connor was transferred to Hoag [Hospital] overnight. When the Eckhardts arrived at his bedside midday Monday, his brain was swollen, and he was already in a coma.
K2, spice…all synthetic drugs. Connor was an organ donor and his family was able to spend extra time with him while the organ donation process was coordinated. Connor died on July 16, 2014, and it was then that Mr. and Mrs. Eckhardt (Devin and Veronica) determined that their son’s story would not be over.
HLN’s Christi Paul talks with the Eckhardts
If you would like to view the video, you can see it here.
Share Connor’s story…
As this summer weekend gets underway, why not share Connor’s story with someone you love. You can visit the FACEBOOK page which tells his story. Start the conversation!
As the Eckhardt family says: Connor Eckhardt died after taking ONE HIT of synthetic marijuana (SPICE, K2, POTpourri). This dangerous substance is legal. Help us save lives by sharing.
