‘I’m thankful for my life—to just be alive.’

Sebastian is a pseudonym being used to protect the identify of this teen. COMBAT and the Mattie Rhodes Center also received his mother’s permission to share his story.

MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2025

He looked out at the Grand Canyon, one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World,” and had an epiphany: “I want to see more. I want there to be more views in my life.”

Sebastian—he chose that as his alias for this article—realizes as a teenager he ought to have a whole lot of life left ahead of him. But he also seems to understand how much “more” he’ll have depends on the choices he makes.

He’s lucky, at 16, to still be alive, and he knows it: “I trusted the guy I got the pills from. He showed me a script, and I thought they were only [Percocet].”  

Fentanyl Overdose

The day before his 14th birthday, Sebastian overdosed after ingesting one fentanyl-laced pill and half of another. First responders spent 45 minutes reviving him; they found another six pills in his possession.

A Kansas City Police officer submitted a social services referral for Sebastian through COMBAT’s Striving To Reduce Violence In Neighborhoods (STRiVIN’) initiative. That submission led to him receiving counseling at the Mattie Rhodes Center, the STRiVIN’ hub in Kansas City’s historic Northeast.

“That police officer saw that NARCAN might have saved his life, but that [Sebastian] was going to need help to change his life,” points out Mattie Rhodes Center Manager of Public Safety Molly Manske. “That referral brought us into his life, and he needed us even more than ever at the end of 2023.”

'Only Heard One Shot'

Sebastian nearly lost his life again in 2023 when he survived a gunshot wound to the leg. His best friend wasn’t as fortunate.

“I only heard one shot,” Sebastian recalls. “I don’t know if the same bullet that hit me killed my friend.”

That trauma led to Sebastian relapsing: “I popped Xanex—one pill then three. I kept blacking out and coming back. I didn’t want to feel any pain—just be high forever.”

Future Starts With Getting Through Today

Now as he starts 2025 working to maintain his sobriety, Sebastian talks about his goals—perhaps becoming an electrician, having a family—and thinking about two views he’ll never forget, one being the Grand Canyon he saw as part of a youth group Mattie Rhodes took on a trip last summer. “[Sebastian] was one of the kids who’d never been on a plane,” says Manske. “We wanted them all to see there’s more to the world than just where they’ve lived most of their lives.” 

The other view is equally powerful: his mom’s face after his overdose. “I don’t want to see my mom like that again,” Sebastian says. 

His past has taught Sebastian “to triple-think things through.” He understands for him to have a future he must first get through today: “When you first come back after overdosing, everything’s blurry. You don’t know if you’re dead or not. I’m thankful for my life—to just be alive. I’m thankful people care about me.”