Aaron Rubin & His Fight with the Opioid Epidemic

In 2005, former CSU, Chico student Aaron Rubin overdosed on the opioid painkiller Oxycontin. He was on the verge of death numerous times, but somehow pulled through. However, the mental and physical damage was devastating – Aaron has fought long and hard, undergoing years of physical therapy, in his efforts to recover. His mother, Sherrie Rubin is the founder and executive director of the HOPE2GETHER Foundation, which works to educate others about what the Center for Disease Control calls “a public health epidemic.” Since then, Aaron and his mother have traveled around the country to give 375 presentations about their compelling story, in order to raise awareness about how the use of opioids, including deaths from overdoses, has skyrocketed. In this presentation, Ms. Rubin is joined by Sandy Nolan, a mother whose son died of an Oxycontin overdose. One of Ms. Nolan’s other sons is a CSU, Chico graduate.