DENVER (KDVR) — Alex Nazar, 26, was supposed to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder in December.

Instead, his mother says he is lying in a hospital bed in a coma.

Alicia Salcedo said in September, her son unknowingly took a pill laced with a heavy dose of fentanyl. She said he thought it was a Xanax that could help him sleep, and he got it from a person he knew.

“He just wanted a sleeping pill to sleep,” she said.

Salcedo said her son has brain damage, and the doctors don’t know what the future holds.

“They have no idea. It could be three months, three years or never coming out of the coma,” she said.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account to help with expenses.

A young man in snowboard gear on a snowy mountain
Alex Nazar, 26, was supposed to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder in December. Instead, his mother says he is lying in a hospital bed in a coma. (Credit: Alicia Salcedo)

Colorado fentanyl deaths rose 70%

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, fentanyl deaths rose by 70% from 2020-2021. Now, this mother hopes to funnel her pain into raising awareness so that other people don’t face the same kind of tragedy.

“Be cautious,” she said, reminding people never to take a pill or medicine of any kind from another person.