Is Christopher Trejo from Netflix’s PainKiller based on a real person? We discuss a key character from the Netflix series.
The head-turning six-episode series PainKiller explores the staggering true events that created what was known as the opioid crisis in the US.
Pain-killing drugs that were marketed and distributed through doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies were initially thought to be nonaddictive, but as the show explores, this was not the truth, leading to a disturbing increase in people becoming addicted to the drugs, while the big pharma that was behind the tablets would make more money than you could probably imagine.
The show is based on true events, but there is a blurring, with some real characters and some that were works of fiction to help drive the narrative forward.
READ: TV Shows like Painkiller
As the show picks up steam with audiences, viewers have been wondering who was real and who was a plot device, and this article is taking a look at that subject.
So, if you are finding yourself comfortably numb, put your feet up and relax with this quick read that answers the question: Is Christopher Trejo from Netflix’s PainKiller based on a real person?
Who is Christopher Trejo in PainKiller?
Christopher Trejo would die on November 20th, 2019, at just thirty-two years old. At the age of fifteen, he was prescribed OxyContin. In the first episode of PainKiller, a disclaimer from his mother, Jennifer Trejo-Adams, appears on screen, and this cold open approach was used in each episode by different people.
Jennifer presents us with an emotional statement at the start of the episode and is seen wearing a T-shirt with a picture of her son Christopher. and confirms that the show may contain dramatizations of events, but the problems that arose from these drugs were very real, and the show is based on real events.
Is Christopher Trejo from Netflix’s PainKiller based on a real person?
Heartbreakingly, Christopher Trejo was a real person and not a character from the show. The emotional disclaimer that we see in the opening of the episode is given by his real-life mother.
To honor the memory of her son, mother Jenifer would set up a foundation that would help other people with issues of addiction and homelessness. The foundation, called the Christopher Trejo Foundation, can be found on Facebook.
Jennifer also has an Instagram page that you can find if you search for @jen_gaia.
What happened to Christopher Trejo in real life?
Christopher was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in San Bernardino, California. He had a love of baseball, and a photo of him is shown in the opening of episode one of the show. He was prescribed OxyContin when he was just fifteen, but the reasons why are not clear.
Christopher suffered as an addict for years and was hospitalized in 2018, a year before his death, and his foot would be amputated.
Eventually, the once promising and loving son would be tragically found dead outside, in a car park at a gas station.
Mother Jenifer continues to campaign and raise awareness.
