Xylazine Injuries Plague Recovering Addicts Past and Present

CELORON, NY — Michael Cave, 43, of Dunkirk, has been addicted to drugs since he was 13 years old.

“(I) started doing hard drugs, crack,” Cave said.

He says that then led to the use of methamphetamines and fentanyl.

“(That) led to me becoming homeless and living in the woods,” Cave said.

Drugs mixed with xylazine were the subject of training Wednesday in Chautauqua County because the drug is not only present there, but also in Onondaga and Monroe counties.

This can leave open sores and sores on the body. Cave has the scars to prove it.

“I had so many injuries that I was probably at risk of amputation,” Cave said. “I reached the point of despair, suicidal thoughts.”

To help others like Cave, the Mental Health Association (MHA) and the Opioid Response Network hosted a wound care summit.

Speakers from the Columbia School of Nursing in New York led the training to teach first responders, public health nurses, clinicians and others how to treat xylazine wounds.

“What can we do and what we can’t do, and when should we seek more professional help to serve the people we work with?” said Steven Cobb, executive director of the Chautauqua County Mental Health Association.

People like Cave, who was tired of his skin falling off and asked MHA to cover it up.

Cave entered rehab and has been clean for seven months. He spoke at the event and now helps MHA, making care kits and providing support to others. He is also grateful to have received it.

“They loved me when I didn’t love myself,” Cave said. “I truly believe that they helped save my life. I owe them a lot, you know, thanks to them, they guided me towards a more productive life, by becoming sober.”