Unless used for medicinal purposes, as prescribed by the doctor, no good can ever come out of drug use. Although it seems really appealing and recreational, drugs are really harmful even in small quantities. Many lives have been ruined because of drug abuse and it is time people realised that.
About a month ago, in a heartbreaking and terrifying incident, a 20-year-old girl, Kaylee Mutthart, gouged out her own eyes with her bare hands while she was high on meth.
In conversation with Cosmopolitan, Kaylee bravely shares the story of her struggle with her drug addiction, mental health issues and the horrific incident. She narrates how she was a social drinker and occasionally smoked pot at the age of 18.
When she tried meth for the first time, she experienced hallucinations for three days. She then tried ecstasy and started taking it on a daily basis. Eventually, she started doing meth often. Being surrounded by drug users, it was easy for her to slip into an addiction.
Even though her mom realized she was struggling with drug abuse, she was a little too late in seeking the right help.
On February 6, when she got high on meth once with a friend, she thought the friend had gone out. She walked to the railroad and saw a light post outside of a church in Anderson, South Carolina. She thought she saw a white bird perched on it. Boston Herald quoted her saying,
“I thought everyone who had died was stuck in their graves, that God was up in Heaven alone, and that I had to sacrifice something important to be able to release everyone in the world to God. It made the world darker, and took everything I believed in and distorted them to make me go down the path to pulling out my eyes.”
She dug her thumb and index finger of both hands in each of her eyes and tried to pull her sockets out. She was wailing in agony and the church’s Reverend found her. He tried to get help and restrain her but the damage was done.
She told USA Today,
“That’s how strong the drug was. It was the will of evil.”
Paramedics arrived soon after and sedated her. It’s been a month since this incident. She is completely blind now and is learning to live a new chapter of her life with the help of her mother, Katy Tompkins.
In a psychiatric facility, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which could have played a role in aiding her drug addiction. She is now being treated for it too. She said,
“It’s the same life, but I’m just learning everything in a new way. Life’s more beautiful now, life’s more beautiful than it was being on drugs. It is a horrible world to live in.”
Kaylee is learning Braille to continue with her studies. She has decided to attend 90 Narcotics Anonymous meetings over 90 days. She is even learning how to live with a cane. She plans to buy a seeing-dog for herself soon. Her mom even got her an iPhone that can be used with voice controls.
While Kaylee is recuperating and beginning anew in her mother’s house, she has sworn off of drugs. She is bravely sharing her story because she wants to warn people of the terrible things that can happen because of drugs.
It breaks our heart to see such a young girl experience something so horrifying. But her courage and optimism are contagious and hopefully, her story will create the required awareness about drug abuse and the problems it causes.