About 30 online participants and many speakers from Penticton gathered Wednesday, April 14 at Gyro bandshell in an emotional online vigil to remember the lives lost during B.C.害羞草研究所檚 ongoing opioid crisis and to call on the provincial government to prevent more lives being lost.
Speakers at Wednesday害羞草研究所檚 vigil included moms who have lost children to overdose, active drug users as well as those in recovery.
Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of the day B.C. declared a public health emergency under the Public Health Act due to the significant rise in opioid-related overdose deaths. Since then over 7,000 people have died from overdose in the province.
All of the speakers shared the view that the B.C. has government hasn害羞草研究所檛 done enough during the overdose crisis. The message to government was clear: decriminalize personal possession of illicit substances and provide a safe supply and countless lives will be saved.
The drug supply has become increasingly toxic during the pandemic, leading 2020 to be the deadliest year for overdose deaths on record with 1,716 deaths.
Earlier on Wednesday, B.C.害羞草研究所檚 minister of addiction and mental health supports said the province will be officially requesting a federal exemption to decriminalize personal possession of drugs in order to combat the crisis.
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Cherith Robson, one of the vigil害羞草研究所檚 first speakers, lost her son Hayden to an accidental fentanyl overdose in July 2020.
害羞草研究所淪ince that day I害羞草研究所檝e spent the last nine months grieving the worst day of my life and grieving my boy so much,害羞草研究所� she said holding back tears.
Since her son害羞草研究所檚 overdose, Robson has dedicated herself to finding out what needs to be done so no more mothers experience her pain.
Hayden害羞草研究所檚 drug use, like most many others, started at a young age and was rooted in trauma. When Hayden was a teenager he witnessed his best friend stabbed to death.
害羞草研究所淥f course, he害羞草研究所檚 a big strong man and he can害羞草研究所檛 show he害羞草研究所檚 hurting or needing help. The stigma that we have around men not being able have pain or need help needs to end,害羞草研究所� Robson said.
Robson had no idea her son was using opiates at first. She knew he was struggling emotionally but his drug use was always kept a secret.
Hayden was able to move away from Penticton and the environment that spawned his opiate use. He would stay clean for several years. But once his relationship deteriorated he returned to Penticton and old behaviours, and by then the drug supply had become much more toxic, causing him to fatally overdose.
Robson said if more support was available to her son he would likely still be here today.
害羞草研究所淲hat I know is we need a safe supply,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭hese are good people. My son could have had a chance, he could have gotten straight and he could have done a great job with the rest of his life if only he hadn害羞草研究所檛 been poisoned.害羞草研究所�
| Cherith Robson's son died of a fentanyl overdose in July, 2020. She's since dedicated herself to finding out what needs to be done so no more mothers experience her pain. (Screenshot) |
Jill Martins, whose son died of a drug overdose in 2016, has a similar story to Robson害羞草研究所檚.
Martins害羞草研究所� son Daniel died of an unintentional fentanyl overdose alone in his vehicle in Kelowna. He was 24.
In her emotional speech, Martins said her son害羞草研究所檚 death 害羞草研究所渢ransformed害羞草研究所� her. 害羞草研究所淭he presence of Daniel害羞草研究所檚 absence is always with me, living without Daniel is the most unnatural way for me to live out my remaining years,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 grieve for the loss of the future I害羞草研究所檇 always imagined sharing with him. Now there is an empty chair at family celebrations, no daughter-in-law, no grandchildren.害羞草研究所�
Martins called her son害羞草研究所檚 death, as well as the deaths of over 7,000 others in B.C., a 害羞草研究所渂rutal forced separation that was both senseless and preventable thanks to our archaic drug policies and laws.害羞草研究所�
Martins stressed the need for decriminalization and a regulated safe supply as well as a societal need for a broader understanding of generational trauma and the role that a child害羞草研究所檚 developmental years have in forming addictive tendencies.
害羞草研究所淚 realize now, more than ever in this world in which we live, it is critical to hold onto our children, engage with them and learn new parenting skills to stop the unintentional cycle of passing down trauma from one generation to the next,害羞草研究所� Martins said.
| Jill Martins害羞草研究所� son Daniel died of an unintentional fentanyl overdose alone in his vehicle in Kelowna. He was 24. (Screenshot) |
Nicola Hill was the third grieving mother to give a very emotional speech. Her son, Corey was 34 when he passed away.
害羞草研究所淪ubstance abuse does not discriminate,害羞草研究所� she said, 害羞草研究所淭his could happen to anyone at anytime,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭here are no second chances in this for some people, we are not getting to the root of the problem.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淲e need help害羞草研究所� we need to get to the root of the problem. Five years and these numbers are getting worse.
害羞草研究所淯nfortunately I害羞草研究所檓 now part of statistic. I害羞草研究所檓 enduring the pain and loss of a child and my brain has been rewired, it feels like it was smashed with a big boulder. This trauma is now my life but it wasn害羞草研究所檛 my choice.
This is just one mom害羞草研究所檚 story. Sadly there are many more, too many,害羞草研究所� Hill said through tears.
Watch Hill害羞草研究所檚 full speech below:
Among the speakers were also several people who are still currently battling addiction themselves.
One unnamed man said he started using heavily after losing his girlfriend and best friend in the same week to overdoses before Narcan was readily available to reverse opioid overdoses.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 affected me in pretty much every way possible,害羞草研究所� the man said of the overdose crisis. 害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 even know who I am anymore.
He continued to say public perception of drug users needs to change in order for progress to be made.
害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 not just like 害羞草研究所榦h you choose to do drugs so it害羞草研究所檚 your fault,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 he said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 so much more complicated than that. I害羞草研究所檓 still a person, I害羞草研究所檓 not just another face of a junkie.害羞草研究所�
| "There needs to be more help offered or easier ways to get help because this is an incredibly hard addiction to break both mentally and physically, a lot of us feel hopeless," said this unnamed man during Wednesday's vigil. (Screenshot) |
Another Penticton woman interviewed who is currently living in active addiction said she has saved 64 lives by reviving them with Narcan and lost three people to overdose in her arms.
害羞草研究所淚 try to remember individual people and not group and stereotype like the rest of society,害羞草研究所� the unnamed woman said. 害羞草研究所淵ou see anybody in this walk of life and they think we害羞草研究所檙e all addicts, and even I have to remind myself that we害羞草研究所檙e not addicts, we害羞草研究所檙e human beings, each and everyone one of us害羞草研究所� I think the government has forgotten that too when they try to address this crisis.害羞草研究所�
| This woman said she has saved 64 lives using naloxone. The opioid overdose reversing drug became free and readily available to anyone in B.C. in 2016. (Screenshot) |
The vigil was organized by Desiree Franz of the Penticton Overdose Prevention Group in collaboration with
At the beginning of the vigil Franz shared her own path to recovery years ago and the support the had to make it happen 害羞草研究所� support that many are not as fortunate to have, she said.
害羞草研究所淎 safe supply, decriminalisation, livable wages, affordable housing and increased options for treatment and counselling and, finally, and most importantly: love and compassion from society,害羞草研究所� Franz stressed as the key factors to ending the overdose crisis.
害羞草研究所淲ithout those things I would not be here today,害羞草研究所� she said at the beginning of nearly two-hour vigil.
害羞草研究所淢aybe by understanding everything I needed for recovery you can understand why the war on drugs has never and will never work.
Remember that every overdose death is a policy failure.害羞草研究所�
Watch the full vigil below:
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jesse.day@pentictonwesternnews.com
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