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About Daniel
Daniel Calazans Simoes
Closing
Daniel loved the ocean.
He understood that waves do not disappear — they transform.
They gather, they rise, they move, they return.
His life was a wave.
It still moves.
And in every effort to make seeking help safer,
his current remains.
His Legacy
Daniel was not defined by his hardest chapter.
He was a mind in motion.
A heart searching for meaning.
A young man who believed systems could be better.
He believed that seeking help should make someone safer.
He believed young people deserved to feel worthy without constantly proving themselves.
He believed honest conversations could change outcomes.
His story is shared because he asked for it to be shared.
Daniel’s life continues in the awareness his courage makes possible.
August 6, 2020
On August 6, 2020, Daniel died from fentanyl-related intoxication. He was 23 years old.
His death occurred within a larger landscape of youth mental health strain, substance exposure risks, fragmented systems of care, and immense societal pressure placed on young adults.
But Daniel was more than the circumstances surrounding his death.
He kept seeking help. He kept asking questions. He kept trying to understand what was happening to him.
That persistence — that refusal to give up on healing — is part of his legacy.
He was not rejecting care.
He was trying to articulate what it felt like inside his own system.
He also spoke about the “extreme pressure” of living in today’s society — the pressure to perform, to succeed, to measure up to standards that often leave young people feeling inadequate and unseen.
He understood how easily the quiet fear of not being enough can become despair.
Most importantly, Daniel asked his mother to do something brave:
Let others know what you didn’t know in time to save me.
He did not say it with anger.
He said it with clarity.
He wanted his experience to become knowledge.
He wanted knowledge to become protection.
He wanted fewer parents to learn too late.
A Young Man Seeking Healing
In early 2020, Daniel survived a near-fatal fentanyl poisoning. Survival in those circumstances is rare.
He understood how close he had come.
It did not make him reckless.
It made him reflective.
He made a courageous decision: he voluntarily entered residential treatment seeking recovery and renewal.
He wanted to heal. He wanted to understand what had happened. He wanted to rebuild.
During treatment, Daniel experienced complex psychiatric medication regimens. Polypharmacy — the use of multiple medications simultaneously — can be clinically appropriate in certain situations. But Daniel was thoughtful and deeply attuned to how his body and mind were responding.
He spoke openly to his mother, his sister, and his healthcare team.
I wouldn’t have time to use Narcan if it happened again.
I would stop taking benzos if it were easy.
The constant over-prescription is making me feel worse, not better.
He was:
A young thinker who loved big questions
A creator, fascinated by how systems work — and how they break
A bridge between cultures and languages
A seeker of truth in literature, philosophy, and technology
A son and brother whose presence felt like light
Daniel believed in second chances. He believed in healing. He believed in helping others who were struggling.
November 27, 1996 – August 6, 2020
Daniel was brilliant, curious, and deeply alive to the world around him.
He loved the ocean, long philosophical conversations, books that asked difficult questions, and the feeling of movement — on a surfboard, on a bike, through ideas. He was multilingual, culturally fluid, and endlessly inquisitive.
This page honors Daniel. The next step turns his words into protection for others.
If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 (U.S.) or contact local emergency services.
Daniel asked that his experience become knowledge.
If his story resonates with you, there are ways to engage:
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