0:07  
Growing up, my older brother was somebody that I'd always idolized. He was bold. He was smart. He was creative, but he always kept to himself. As we got older, I began noticing that he was changing. It turns out, he was experimenting with drugs, cocaine.

0:26  
In the past year, I did mention to the parents that, you know, the situation that I was in that I dealth drugs, that I was doing drugs, and they suggested I get help. I said, No, I'd figure it out on my own.

0:39  
Omar convinced myself and my parents that he was getting better, but it turns out that this was all just a facade. 

0:46  
He would tell us one thing and do another obviously. And like the crowd, he was hanging around, there was new people in his life. I mean, I didn't really believe that he had quit. I mean, he would stay out almost every weekend, and find reasons not to come home. 

1:05  
You lead a double life because you're just trying to hide something. So whenever you get involved with certain things, and it gets to a certain point where it's too heavy, you have to leave that certain life.

1:13  
Eventually, Omar secrecy found a way of catching up with him and things got way worse for everybody involved.

1:20  
I came back from work as I usually do and I went to the gym, and I figured he was at work or finishing up and probably at some location. But I hadn't heard from him all day. And I mentioned it to my husband. Did you hear from Omar? He says, nope. And then I was worried I called Mia.

1:42  
She said, Mia, have you heard from Omar? I said, no.

1:46  
And then we filed a missing persons report. We hadn't heard from him all night and I said to Mia. Mia, it's better if you just come home,

1:55  
I took the subway all the way to Vaughn station and when I got in the car, my dad got a phone call from the police.

2:02  
Who said that they had located Omar, and he was breathing but he was unresponsive. And it was it was just a mess. 

2:11  
Omar remembers this a little bit differently.

2:18  
So it was June 6, and I had just finished up a pretty large business meeting. And after that ended up calling my my buddy because I just wanted to not celebrate, but I wanted to go you know, release some stress and go have some drinks and do a bag of blow. That's it. So he started drinking, play music. Just talking. So cocaine came out. Right away once I did my first line. Only probably about 15 seconds later, it was strong, very strong and then I just needed some air like I had to get out of the car. That's the last thing I remember. I remember getting in the car. I lit up a cigarette, my I reclined my seat back I was very tired and that's it. I passed out. Next thing I remember is waking up probably a month later and just out of a coma.

3:15  
Before all this happened, Omar was lying a lot. And even though months have passed, and he doesn't really have anything to hide now, my mom still finds him to lack transparency.

3:27  
I still feel he is he's he's guarded or I don't like I feel like I'm trying I don't. I try to ask them questions about how he's feeling and but I understand he's frustrated and and if we do talk, it's very, very minimal. And about really nothing important. 

3:48  
Omar, however, feels the opposite. 

3:50  
I feel I have to be more transparent with people. in any circumstance, whether it's work, whether it's family, whether it's friends. I feel like it's key to be transparent in life because it's going to blow over in the end and put hurt on your own body and causes turmoil in the end for yourself and for your loved ones.

4:11  
Though it was ultimately Omar's choice whether he did it or not. My mom found it difficult to establish her power in the situation.

4:19  
If it was up to me, I'd continue to doubt him secretly, not really accuse him. Just kind of continue to have my doubts about everything he said quietly. I think I was waiting for the right time, either for something to happen, or for him to come to me and tell me he was out of control. That was my style. My husband's style was more to badger him with questions, accusing him of lying. Yeah, so I was defending him which was probably making things a lot easier for him to get out of trouble, I guess or just to continue doing what he was doing. So yeah, that's how things went on a little bit longer maybe.

5:02  
One thing Omar and my mom can agree on is that the accident saved him. 

5:08  
Ultimately, I feel like it was a blessing in disguise because if that didn't happen, I probably be doing the same things. I used to drink and drive that ended up coming out. Luckily, thank God that I didn't get a DUI or anything like that. I think people that are on drugs and are trying to get off or really need like one of those life changing experiences to take place for them to really realize.

5:30  
If he did not have this happen to him, he would still be doing what he did. He may be in jail. He may have killed somebody by now for taking many, many risks. And it changed him. I don't know if he was fully addicted. I'm not 100% sure. I don't know. I think it was a habit and I think it was an easy way to sober up. I've learned how to be a better parent because of this or to see anything that I haven't before. I can't really say that I have.

6:11  
Families are complicated. Right now there's no clear answer for how to fix our family dynamic. And there may not ever even be a clear answer as to why some things have to happen in the first place. But this did happen. And even though it is shitty, and it's far from being over, my family still gets to be together to figure out what is next.