they're firing canisters of gas at us... award winning investigative documentary series... the disappearing delta only on al jazeera america >> part of al jazeera america's >> special month long evironmental focus fragile planet on "america tonight" the weekend edition. michelle is not a typical make-up artist. she rarely makes up any face than her own. she has gone from blocker to youtube sensation to exhausted entrepreneur. >> i was creating, writing stories, doing comic books, story. >> the 27-year-old's youtube channel amassed over 100 views since 2006. also tonight... >> the worst nightmare that a

parent could go through. >> reporter: alex overdosed inside her home. >> we did a do not resuscitate order. and the priest came, and passed peace fly. >> reporter: alex may have been brought back to life with this. thanks for joining us, i'm joie chen. it's jaw-dropping the spike of heroin use in this country that cropped up in suburban neighbourhoods, rural communities, claiming lives we never thought would be lost to smack. it's nothing less than a health crisis and the fight critical, and now officers armed themselves with a weapon against drug overdoses. an anecdote that can save lives and rescue users from the edge of death. in maryland, lori jane gliha found out what happens when the help come, but too late. >>

it's the worst nightmare that a parent could go through. finish >> reporter: renae's son alex was clean for six months and home for the holidays. >> alex was special, loving, affectionate. do anything for anyone, give the shirt of his back. >> reporter: alex was addicted to oxycontin. renae thought he was turning his life around at age 28. it was a rainy night last january, his last night at home. >> we had plans to go to the gill at eight in the morning, and he was going to meet a friend for an early lunch on his way out of town. the next thing i know, when you go to bed at four in the morning, a neighbour boy was

screaming for me to wake up, that alex had stopped breathing. >> reporter: alex overdosed in her home. >> he went to the hospital. he was not mentally going to be the same. we had to make the decision whether to resuscitate him or not, which was a hard decision. in your hard you want to, in your mind you know you should. >> reporter: alex night have been brought back too life with this. >> it's 1 meal gram per nostril. >> once you inject this, how life. >> it's a drug referred to as narcan, and can bring an overdose victim back to consciousness. scott davis is with the montgomery country police. members of his department were first on the scene responding to his call.

weeks later police would be trained and equipped with the drug that could have saved al-lex. -- alex. >> so many things went wrong. what if he had narcan, what if he had woken me up. a lot of things could have changed the course of event. >> reporter: recent numbers showed heroin deaths tripled nationwide between 2010 and 2013. with the growing epidemic police departments change their approach to drug addiction, arming police officers with ant dotes instead of making arrests. >> reporter: an ambulance might have this. >> they do. >> reporter: what if a police officer has it? >> if we get to the scenes first, we can administer it, we have policies to demer it. at this point at overdose, seconds count. >> reporter: it has been around for decades, injected with a needle.

police departments and emergency version. >> we sake the cap off here. >> reporter: a use not approved by the f.d.a. and considered off label by the government. maryland is among dozens of state that allow law enforce. to carry it, removing liability from it. like police officers. but the so-called miracle drug is less of a relate yi, because the price doubled in the past year. stock jumped public. >> many have cracks ta set long-term pricing for the drugs they buy. >> reporter: do you think lives will be lost as a result of it. >> yes. if it's cost prohibitive we'll

stop carrying it. we may come over an overdose and wow, i don't have narcan, and have to wait 6-8 minutes for fire-rescue. into the price increase and stock jump caught the attention of lawmakers. maryland representative elijah cummins wrote this alert to the c.e.o. of amfa star pharmaceuticals. the lawmakers requested key financial information. amfa star is working on a response. "america tonight" made repeated request for comment to the pharmaceutical company. all went unanswered. in the past they said the price increase was due to raw materials, energy and labour. renae is planning to receive

training and keep it with her at all times. she's rushing to the hospital to pick up her son. addict. >> michael has been addicted to opiates, including heroin for years. his mother encouraged him to appear on camera to demonstrate the powerful grip the drugs have well. >> can you describe what is your situation with drugs. >> i always, for some reason resort back to them. it's - they control me, everything. they make me hurt the people i love the most. >> when you think about what happened to your brother, do you worry it could happen do you. >> i'm in a dark place, in a way i was envious of my brother, i tried to commit suicide swis, with all the anxiety, depression and drug use.

i wish it happened to me instead of him. that's the last thing reppa wants. alive. >> reporter: why is it important to have narcan here. i know when you live with an addict much every minute of every day there's a time to hoefr dose and allow you to have peace of mind and comfort. but should an emergency come like it, you can help. she can't be there every minutes of every day. she will need to rely on first respond ors. this is remarkable. you say more and more police departments are getting this medication in the hands of their officers. a lot of states are starting to do a programme.

not only do they train law enforcement. regular citizens can go through the training. it qualifies them, and in the rural areas, they say this may be a good thing, if you live with an addict or are friends you may have the potential of overdosing, you could have it in your om. in this case the police got there first. there. >> every second counts. the officer says it's important to get there quickly. it's not complicated to use. >> it's simple. they add this atomizer, they put it up the knows. -- nose. it doesn't seem hard to use. people can have a certificate and use it. >> the f.d.a. has not authorised way.

is there an option? >> it's considered an off-label use. there is another da-approved method, an autoinjector with a needle, and comes in a little box. basically it talks to you, tells you the instruction that you need to do. you have to go through training to get a prescription for it. it's a little needle injected in, i think, the leg. it. >> not complex, like an epipen. >> similar to an epipen or something a diabetic would use. it's simply to use. >> "america tonight"s lori jane gliha next - drugged up on doctor's orders. an "america tonight" investigation took us inside a va hospital. what lawmakers know now about the overdosing of patients. later here - beauty queen - the

20 something who parlayed her empire. >> how do you make the magic happen? i'll never get 11 million hits. >> you could. >> michelle font tells sara hoy, it takes more than a good look. the rags to riches story - talk to our yours this mon. find out how you can -- yours this monday. find out how you can be in touch aljazeera.com/americatonight.

in our fast-forward segment - doped to death. the veterans administration has been under fire for mismanagement and mistreatment over vets at facilities across the country. "america tonight" christopher putzel vetted the cas of a young marine at a v.a. hospital whose death exposed other system.

>> we went in his room. he was sleeping with his hand on his side. on his head. and i said "jason, what's the matter with you?" i said "jason, i can't understand you." i went to the nurse's saying and said what is wrong with him, he can't talk. she said "we gave him medication for the migraine, he'll be all right in a couple of hours." >> reporter: a few hours later jason stopped bleeding. the parties were told his death was a result of aneurysm. the reality was different. >> every drug was prescribed by the v.a. >> a former v.a. housekeeper was a last witness she spoke out about what she saw. >> i remember seeing him sitting up in bed.

he seemed fine, he was mumbling. he was on a ward where people don't die. in and out word. >> reporter: the death of justin and a report by the center for investigative reporting set off a fire storm. in january, bob mcdonald announced a review of practices. including allegations of overmedication and accusations of retall yachtery before. at the heart of many the chief of staff, psychiatrist dr david houlihan. >> the patients were - a lot of them were just working around like some bys. i couldn't understand why there were so many patients that were in their bed all day long. >> people needed to go if they wanted to get meds. >> i heard that huli han was,

you know, giving the stuff out like candy. >> fast-forward - in the wake of our investigation, and the others, members of congress made a trip from washington to wisconsin to hear first hand from jason's family, along with the other whistleblowers. at the hearing the v.a. apologised to the families and workers who spoke up this week on "america tonight" - coaching cruelty. >> keep quiet or it's going to be it for your career. >> lori jane gliha - young athletes, big dreams, and the culture that can leave them vulnerable to abuse. that's this week on "america tonight". after the break - beauty queen, the 20 something who parlayed her make-up secrets into an internet empire and proves she has more to so far than just a good look.

>> i think we're into something that's bigger than us... >> that's the pain that your mother feels when you disrespect her son... >> me being here is defying all odds... >> they were patriots they wanted there country back >> al jazeera america presents the passion... >> onward.. >> pain... >> it's too much... >> ..and triumph... inspirational real life stories >> all these labels the world throws at you, that's what drives me to push.. >> of ordinary people >> i tasted the american dream, i liked it... >> living extraordinary lives... >> if we could multiply this program, we could change the world >> from the best filmmakers of our time >> i give al jazeera tremendous credit, because it's not traditionally what broadcast journalism does >> the new home for original documentaries al jazeera america presents only on al jazeera america

our lust for digital voyeurism made a lot of folks what you might call internet famous. link kardashian, for miley or grumpy cat. social sharing connected us with positive personalitiesies, and

created new web-only rock stars. "america tonight"s sara hoy brings you the back story of a young woman whose rags to riches sale reminds us how powerful the digital connection can be. >> reporter: michelle is not the typical make-up artist. she rarely makes up any face other than her own. when she does, people watch. she has more than 7.5 million youtube followers. >> it's crazy millions see me out make-up. i can go outside without make-up and people can recognise me. superstar. >> a lot of adults complain are. >> here you are gene millennial. >> we are not lazy. >> he has gone from blogger to youtube sensation to happily exhausted enpre preppure. >> do you sleep?

>> i sleep 5 hours a day. >> who has time to sleep when you are building an empire. she is the hands-on beauty and break-ins behind a number of centers much including ipp si, a founded. >> we have 100 people at the country and ship out a million ipp si glam bags. >> she has a book, her own cosmetic line and soon to be launched lifestyle network. >> reporter: you had a unique journey, this is not something you were handed a silver spoon, you earnt every minute of what you have done. >> i grew up in tampa florida. we didn't have a lot of money. >> reporter: michelle's family came to the united states from vietnam. hero. >> yes, i looked at what little

she could do. she had less than $20, and came out after the vietnam war. her country was in wreck. she had to come here and rebuild everything from the ground up. >> michelle's father moved the family across the country more than once before planting roots in florida. he was a compulsive gambler and often lost the rent money. one day he left and never returned. devastated michelle art. >> art was a way for me to express myself and escape. it was tough growing up as a child. i was always creating. i was writing stories, doing universe. >> reporter: her father's poker habit led to many evictions, starting in new schools and making new friends. >> it was not easy for you, you were an outsider.

>> i did feel like an outsider who doesn't. everyone feels misunderstood when they were going through their teenage years. i was optimistic. i new i was able tos get out of the rut. i told myself i will find a way to help my family. i'll not leave a safety net for failure. i'll find a way to succeed. >> michelle and her growther worked to help their mother. everything changed when michelle started college and received a laptop given to fresh men. >> i was trying to apply for a job at a beauty counter. i took the test. i was so good at showcasing mauk up and my enthusiasm that the lady asked have you been in sales. i said "no." "sorry, we can't hire you." "you're not going to give me a chaps." i did, i opened the

laptop and filmed a video. >> that has been viewed more than 11,000 times. >> how do you make the magic happen. i'll never get 11 million hits. >> you could. you have a great personality, leave. people want to see that. people go online, they want to connect. they want good content. they want someone they can connect with and have a community where they belong. >> what has been some of the vast experiences. >> it's tough to say. i haven't had a chance much i've been working nonstop. it may be overwhelmed. i'm keeping myself busy, because i might become emotional and cry and be scared at the same time. be scared of losing something so amazing. we summed some of. google called. you went to paris.

accomplishments. >> yes. >> they are a stepping stone to what - to something bigger that i believe hopefully that i can accomplish in the future. this is why this year i dedicate a lot of time working towards girl's education. >> i'm jumping in here. you are being a little humble. you are not just helping people, or students get educated. you just travelled the gob with the first lady. >> michelle joined mrs. obama in japan as part of the let girls learn initiative, a campaign to help girls worldwide attend and complete school. >> reporter: tell us about that experience and get the call from the white house that michelle obama wants you. >> michelle obama told me that her daughters loved my work and were excited, and i think maybe they are part of the reason why i came with president obama, which i'm grateful for.

you said this. i live, i liv, i teach. and i learn. >> what is the biggest lesson you say you've learnt. >> don't trust everyone. trust me. >> keep the private life private. it's important to let people know about the hardships that you go through. why is it important to know that. >> i need to give complex on where i am. i wanted them to see that. i was able to make it out of the poverty. i was able to take myself and family out of it by doing something you love. vietnamese. avalanche. >> reporter: in a sense aren't

you an avalanche to the beauty world. >> it created a trigle effect. >> what is a result. >> being able, giving back to the family. >> when you cash in, what was the first thing you did. i had my family in an apartment. >> they were representing out one room. >> we were happy to have each either. >> we have four walls and a roof. we were grateful. us being grateful offered a lot of opportunities through their doors. she created a video. the space and the equipment are

free of charge. i wanted to bring behind an infrar structure. so they can take care of their family. pursues what they love. they feel like they are not going into a drug. define what dreamers are. these are the people that we need to empower. they are the one that is can make a radical change in society. people who were never given a chance. now i showed them that they don't need to be given a chance. they make their own both. dreaming? >> of course, i'm always going to be a dreamer. i always will shoot for the stars

a dreamer with a lot to share. you can connect with michelle. she'll be tweeting with the audience. michelle will be on twitter on monday at 7:00p.m. eastern. that's "america tonight". tell us what you think at aljazeera.com/americatonight. talk to us on twitter or facebook. come back, we'll have more of "america tonight". al jazeera america gives you the total news experience anytime, anywhere. more on every screen. digital, mobile, social. visit aljazeera.com. follow @ajam on twitter. and like aljazeera america on facebook for more stories, more

access, more conversations. so you don't just stay on top of the news, go deeper and get more perspectives on every issue. al jazeera america. >> next on al jazeera america presents... >> the catholic church of the 21st century is a global financial power. the pope might just be one of the biggest landloards in the world. the church is now spending heavily on political lobbyists. >> 21% of the dioceses told us that they never audit their parishes. we found that 85% of the dioceses had experienced an embezzlement in recent years many more than one. >> priests rape boys, thats what