Long Island father produces video game to raise fentanyl awareness after son's death
ROSLYN, N.Y. -- A Long Island father is on a mission to save lives after his son died after being sickened by fentanyl.
He was at a crowded casino at the time, but no one administered Narcan.
Father shares tragic story after losing son to fentanyl poisoning
Ethan Bherwani, a law school-bound 22-year-old, had asked his dad for permission to go with friends to Mohegan Sun. His father, Kamal Bherwani, responded, "Your call."
"It was the last text message he and I would ever exchange on May 17, 2021," Bherwani said.
The Roslyn dad would later get the call every parent fears.
"I'm in front of your son in an emergency room, and he's unconscious," Bherwani said.
Ethan never woke up. Fentanyl poisoning killed him.
Disturbing video shows Ethan Bherwani collapsing from fentanyl poisoning
Later, disturbing video emerged in the case against a drug dealer who allegedly slipped Ethan tainted cocaine in the casino bathroom. Ethan is seen slumping over a blackjack table, then collapsing to the floor.
His father says he laid there without help for 11 minutes.
"It was a video that haunts me every day ... You just wanted to reach out and just grab him because you knew he could have been saved ... if quick action was taken," Bherwani said. "Within three minutes, high probability if he had been given Narcan or naloxone, generic version of Narcan, he would be alive and well today."
The security adviser for Mohegan Sun, Michael Balboni, said, "Narcan was and is always available at the casino. However safety protocol dictates that it is not used if it's not known why a person has collapsed."
Video game "Johanna's Vision" teaches players to avoid fentanyl
Bherwani is turning tragedy into a teaching mission.
He's produced a video game that teaches players to avoid fentanyl, recognize the symptoms and save a life with Narcan.
Game developer Tom Giovanetti, with TGA Company, says games can do good.
"It's a mission to raise awareness about the devastating impact of fentanyl," he said.
"Fish where the fish are, right? And that's where the fish are, if you want to get a message out," Bherwani said.
Delivering the message that fentanyl is no game and minutes matter.
"Ethan was a tremendous human being. He played music, you know, alto saxophone, piano. I want kids to hear the story. I want kids to hear Ethan's story so we can prevent another Ethan," Bherwani said.
The free game, titled "Johanna's Vision," launches Aug. 31 -- Overdose Awareness Day.
"No love is greater than that of a father for his son," Bherwani said.
