Dear Editor,
In this day and age, the worst thing is getting that phone call in the middle of the night saying that a young loved one has perished due to a drug overdose of fentanyl.
There is no rhyme or reason, just a bad choice they made that has cost them dearly.
I have a nephew that had a date on Valentine’s Day and for some reason which he took to his grave, he didn’t end up with her that night and was depressed and drinking scotch instead.
Whether drunk or not, he decided to take the low road and purchase a small bag of cocaine.
There was one line on the table and one line missing.
It only took one line!
We know for sure that he was dead for 20 minutes before someone found him and he received help.
He remained in a coma on life support machines till Tuesday, when they said that he was breathing on his own.
I was grateful that things like positive thinking and the power of prayer was finally working.
I had the whole town on their knees praying for a positive outcome.
The idea of taking care of him during his recovery was dancing in my head. What better place to heal than Port Hardy!
It just wasn’t meant to be.
On Feb. 20 at 1:00 a.m. he succumbed to his brain injuries and passed away.
I am devastated and beside myself with grief that my daily responsibilities and my priorities refuse to let me succumb to the anger and tears that I feel. So where do we find our closure or answers to this dilemma?
Do we dig and find the dealer that sold them the bad drugs?
Deeper maybe?
Do we need to go to the bigger source and blame them for this horrible outcome?
Deeper yet?
Ok, let us get to the root of the problem.
Drug companies and the government.
We are so pushed towards taking a pill for whatever ails us.
Who is to say what is actually healing us, and what are we putting in our bodies that will make us immune to them when we need them most.
We have become such a whiny society to have every ailment and boo boo nursed by professionals, it’s no wonder our poor nurses and doctors are so very overwhelmed.
We are so pushed to see that holistic healing and marijuana are a horrible gateway to this outcome, but alcohol is okay because our children know better than to drink and drive.
Our children have been taught by watching the adults around them get plastered, but it’s only “an adult thing”.
Yet when it comes to drugs, they are lumped together and accused of being the outcome of the deaths from fentanyl.
What is to blame then?
Lack of communication with our children regarding the outcome and horrors of this whole disaster that is taking so many of our youth.
There is only one conclusion to this story and I encourage you to see it and live life as you see fit.
But talk to your children, they don’t need to be protected from this world.
They need to see it at face value and see that the monsters are not in the closet but out on the streets where they are accessible to everyone. Teach them the horrors and make them aware that there is more to life than a moment of bliss.
Teach and be aware of depression. There is no shame in it, there is not a judgement to be had for depression. Mental health has wonderful professionals who are opting to spend their time helping those who suffer from depression.
Doctors whom are experienced in treating depression and getting you professional diagnostics that could save a life.
We have to be more proactive to this horror as one by one we watch our young people perish to this tragedy.
Breeze Mitchell,
Port Hardy