His death made a huge impact on her life but nothing will ever stop her from making him proud. In the heart of Conroe, Texas, a quiet yet powerful movement is taking place, led by a woman whose compassion knows no bounds. Every day, she reminds everyone where they can locate her with one mission in mind: to distribute Narcan to anyone who might need it.
Her name is Brandi Flores Brentari, and she is a guardian angel in the community. Brentari’s journey is inspired by losing her older brother, Tank, to a drug overdose.
“All I wanted to do growing up was to impress my brother and make him proud of me,” Brentari said. “Yeah, I was that annoying little sister, seven years younger. He took advantage of that.”
Bentari remembers she would do anything to make her brother laugh and take notice of her. One game still lives in her memories today.
“He would say ‘Hey Brandi, let’s tie ropes around our ankles, get on our bikes and go opposite directions and see who wins’,” Brentari said. “Him being seven years older and stronger, he won every time. I continued this game because I just wanted to make him proud of his little sister. I would get up off the ground bruised and bloody, but once I saw him smiling, I knew he was proud. My brother liked me, and I was proud I made him laugh.”
Brentari’s story is one of resilience, love and a relentless pursuit of making a difference. She has turned her personal tragedy into a beacon of hope for others, and her biggest goal is to save lives. She orders the Narcan online and distributes it free of charge to anyone who wants to have it on hand to save a life.
“I think it’s a really awesome and smart idea how the distribution is working because I feel like we should always have it on hand,” school nurse Candice Lottinger said. “I find it unique for everyone to be so aware of these types of things.”
Law enforcement and medical professionals know the importance of having Narcan on hand in case of an emergency. They are trained specifically how to administer the drug to those in need.
“It is very important to have this with us at times when we may be responding to a possible overdose or someone who is non responsive,” Montgomery County Sheriff’s Deputy Tiffany Neal said. “We have also learned what Narcan to do to someone if they are in fact not overdosing. Narcan is used to reverse the effects of opiates, it does not work on every drug, only opiate overdoses.”
Narcan is not new. According to mayoclinic.org Naloxone hit the market in 1971 as Narcan for treatment of an opioid overdose in emergency situations.
“I really think that it’s something important because you can save a life by having that on you at all times,” Coach Kristi Brown said. “It’s like saving a life with CPR, so it’s a must have life saver.”
Building awareness is part of Brentari’s mission. She wants to tell her story, Tank’s story, as a testament to the power of empathy and the impact one person can have on an entire community.
“I began passing out Narcan this year in memory of my brother Tank,” Brentari said. “Tank was 28 and full of life. He was kind, loving and a perfect big brother. Tank did what most teens do and experimented with substances. Unfortunately, he became an addict. The bad thing about addiction is you have no way of knowing you are an addict until you are already there.”
When Tank was struggling with addiction the most, Brentari used tough lough to support him.
“Tank began using heroin,” she said. “He came to my house one night, and I had to tell my brother he couldn’t come in. That was my best friend, the person I wanted to impress, the person I wanted to make so proud and he looked so disappointed. It broke my heart.”
Rehab was good for Tank. The family came together to help him get sober and back on track.
“The next day he checked into rehab,” Brentari said. “I went every day to see him. We got in trouble in group meetings because all I had to do was make eye contact and we would start laughing at the most inappropriate times. He was a true prankster. Life was never boring when Tank was around.”
Like many addicts, Tank slipped once he was out of rehab and still in recovery.
“He finished his rehab, came home and he was going great, so we thought,” Brentari said. “He asked my dad to drop him off at a meeting. That was the last time we would ever see Tank. He did not come home. I spent a week down in the worst areas looking for my brother.”
Every family’s worst nightmare became Brentari’s reality a week later.
“Finally one night, my phone rang,” she said. “There was the coroner’s office asking me if I knew my brother’s personal habits. I paused before replying as if I did not answer, it would not be true. My beautiful, big brother was found in a portable toilet. He life ended in a bathroom. Tank sat in that portable toilet for a week before they even opened it. My father wanted a viewing, but we could not do that because the condition Tank was in.”
From little sister, to best friend, to advocate, Brentari wants to give the community a change to change the outcome of another tragedy.
“It has taken many years to feel like I have gone from the annoying little sister to making Tank proud by passing out Narcan,” Brentari said, “I am giving people an opportunity to mend things with their family.”
This story was originally published on The Voice of the Wildkats on August 30, 2024.
