A day in the life of caring for an overdose survivor

Jessica Pizzitola Jarrett pushes her son John-Bryan ‘JB’ Jarrett in his wheelchair outside their home. She provides 24-hour care for JB - and lovingly talks to him as they go about their day-to-day routine. Photograph: Meridith Kohut/The Guardian

A couple of years ago, I began investigating non-fatal overdoses.

Coverage of the US’s opioid crisis has largely focused on lives lost. But through my cousin Mason, I saw another toll of the epidemic: the people who survive overdoses but are left with devastating disabilities.