Lamar Odom In Critical Condition After Assumed Overdose

Former NBA star Lamar Odom is in critical condition from an assumed overdose, after being found unconscious at a brothel in Crystal, Nevada on Tuesday afternoon. A staff member at Love Ranch told the 911 operator that Odom had taken at least 10 organic sexual enhancement drugs in the past three days and used cocaine that previous Saturday but was unsure if he had used since then.

Sheriff Sharon Wehrly said when help arrived he was unconscious and “He had blood coming from his nose and mouth along with a white substance.” There are reports that Odom has multiple organ failures, including failing kidneys and collapsed lungs. However, this information has not been confirmed by his medical team.

ABC News reported that the 911 call was placed at 3:15 and a helicopter arrived on scene at 4:37 to medevac Odom to the hospital. Due to Odom’s size, he was unable to fit safely inside the helicopter. He was taken by ambulance to Desert View Hospital in Pahrump, Odom was later transferred to Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas.

Richard Hunter, media assistant for Love Ranch told ABC that Odom received a phone call on Monday night that had upset him. “The night before he was hospitalized, he told the girls he wanted to spend that night alone,” said Hunter.

According to USA Today, Detective Michael Eisenloffel has not ruled out the possibility of this being a suicide attempt. Excel Sports Management Tweeted its official statement saying, “Lamar Odom is a long-time member of the Excel family, and we are keeping him in our thoughts and prayers. We are staying close to the situation but have no additional information or comment at this time.”

Odom Has a Past Riddled with Addiction and Tragedy

Anyone who is a fan of the two time NBA champion, or the Kardashians, knows that especially in recent history Odom has been struggling with substance abuse and addiction. Odom is known to have spent three weeks in a rehab facility back in 2012, between seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers.

More famously in 2013 he was pulled over in California and charged with a DUI, around that same time rumors of a relapse had began to fly. Shortly after that Chloe Kardashian filed for a divorce siting “irreconcilable differences” as the cause.

This past summer, Odom lost two friends, Jamie Sangouthai and Bobby Heyward, within two weeks of each other due to drug related causes. Sangouthai contracted a flesh eating disease, which is believed to have been from sharing needles. Two weeks later Heyward died from an apparent heroin overdose.

Odom is no stranger to substance abuse and loss, he has been dealing with it ever since childhood. His father Joe Odom was absent for most of his life due to his own struggle with heroin addiction. The two have reconnected in recent years but building a relationship has continued to be difficult for the two.

When he was only 12, Odom’s mother died from colon cancer. Since his father was not in the picture, he was then raised by his grandmother. Traumatic events are known to be linked with drug and alcohol abuse, and Odom has seen more than his fair share of trauma.

In many cases, rehab and therapy are the only ways to find recovery when addiction is cause from unresolved trauma. Odom condition is touch and go, but according to Rev. Jesse Jackson, “from what the doctor said, he was much better off today than yesterday.”