07/29/2026
Tyler survived an overdose. He didn't survive the hospital's drug screen.
When Juli Shamash's 19-year-old son was rushed to the ER after an overdose, doctors ran a standard drug panel. Fentanyl wasn't part of it. It still isn't part of the routine screening used in many emergency rooms across the country.
Tyler died the next day. His family didn't learn fentanyl was in his system until five months later, when the coroner's toxicology report came back.
With no background in policy or legislation, Juli took her grief to the California State Legislature. In 2022, Governor Newsom signed Tyler's Law, requiring California hospitals to include fentanyl in routine drug screenings for suspected overdoses. Now she's pushing for that same standard nationwide.
On this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Juli shares what happened to Tyler, the gap in ER testing that's still putting lives at risk, and what she wants every family, hospital, and lawmaker to understand.
She can't bring Tyler back. But she's making sure fewer families learn the truth five months too late.
Full episode on YouTube:
Juli Shamash is getting national attention for an issue she wishes ...
