At just 26 years, Ryan Hedican died in April from a fentanyl overdose. He was into sports while growing up in Courtenay, but battled addiction for many years. He tried different avenues to overcome the disease, including the Last Door Recovery Society in the Lower Mainland, where he spent the last eight months of his life.
Ryan’s family has organized an Aug. 31 event at Simms Park in Courtenay during International Overdose Awareness Day.
“It’s unfortunate that we treat addiction the way that we do,” his mother Jennifer Hedican said. “Ryan didn’t want to be addicted. He had been clean three times.”
At the Last Door, the family met several people who had been in and out of the facility several times — people with families and careers. One man had returned to school and earned a social work degree.
“I think people don’t understand that relapse is a normal part of addiction,” Hedican said. “I used to think, and I guess this was just wild hope, that once a person wasn’t using the drug any more, they wouldn’t be an addict. But it always is inherent with them. Your body and your mind have been altered…Once that pilot light is lit, it stays on forever.”
The purpose of next Thursday’s event is three-fold: to provide a time for people to remember those lost to overdose; provide information about what to do, and to recognize signs of overdose; and to provide a message of support and strength to those fighting addiction and those in recovery.
“It’s kind of a healing event, it’s not a political rally,” Hedican said. “I’ve been blessed with community support for this.”
The City of Courtenay, the John Howard Society and AIDS Vancouver Island are supporting the Aug. 26 event, which runs from 6-8 p.m.
The issue of fentanyl overdose has been declared a health crisis in B.C., Coun. Doug Hillian noted at Courtenay council Monday.
“We’ve lost hundreds of people,” he said. “This is not something restricted to the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. It’s affecting many families.”
Statistics indicate the number of illicit drug overdoses in B.C. have escalated in recent years. On average, more than four people a day in B.C. are dying from an overdose. The problem is largely driven by fentanyl.
“I think it’s time our society started talking,” Hedican said. “We need to see it like our LGBQ community. This is diversity, this is life, and we need to not be ashamed of it. Active addiction causes chaos. If it can be proactively treated, it might have a different outlook for people that are addicts and their families.”
Signs of opioid overdose include a clammy face, a limp body, difficult speech, and slow breathing and heartbeat. Sleep is deep and cannot be woken.
FMI: www.overdoseday.com