Victoria teen's accidental overdose started with prescription drugs, parents say

The parents of a Victoria teen who died Friday from anaccidental overdose say they felt trapped by a medical system thatdidn't give them a say in their son's painkiller prescriptions.

Sixteen-year-old Elliot Eurchuk, whom his parents described as akind and funny athlete, died at his home after taking street drugsthey believe he was using to help him sleep.

Our hearts are broken for the family and friends of this young man.-MeribethBurton, Island Health.

Rachel Staples and Brock Eurchuk say their son's drug use startedafter he was prescribed opioids for four surgical procedures lastyear, even though they had requested alternative treatments.

Two surgeries treated his fractured jaw, which he broke on asoccer field, and two others were for shoulder reconstructions fromanother sports injury.

In February, Elliot was in hospital again for three weeks with aninfection.

His parents say they again asked for alternatives to opioids, andfor access to his medical records when he overdosed after leavingthe hospital on a day pass. They say they were told Elliot was oldenough to make his own medical decisions.

Treatment on his own

In British Columbia, the Infants Act says children under 19 mayconsent to a medical treatment on their own under certainconditions: the health-care provider is sure the treatment is in thechild's best interest, and the child understands the potential risksand benefits.

It's up to the health-care provider to assess and ensure thechild's understanding of the treatment.

The concept of maturity has generally replaced chronological agein laws across the country, according to the Canadian MedicalProtective Association.

Only Quebec has established a fixed age of consent at 14, belowwhich the consent of a parent or guardian is required for treatment,the association said on its web site.

'Had good future'

Staples and Eurchuck believe their son started buying streetdrugs, which were marketed as pharmaceutical-grade pills, in thefive-month period between two surgeries, when he experienced chronicand acute pain.

His father said he wants to dispel any myth that kids who usedrugs are "bad.

"My son wasn't a perfect kid, but he was a kind, gentle,personable boy who had a really good future ahead of him," Eurchuksaid.

Elliot was a clever kid with an interest in chemistry, his fathersaid, but he had a "fatal misunderstanding" that he had controlover what was going into his body.

His son was looking forward to getting back into hiking, strengthtraining and going back to school in the fall, after a difficultyear, Eurchuk said.

'Addicted brain'

Staples described her son as a funny kid who loved reading andpuns, rugby, soccer, boxing and hiking.

She said she'd like to see the system change to give parents moreagency in decisions about their children's health.

"You can't know what you're doing when you have an addictedbrain, and there's no way a child should be making their own medicaldecisions when they're in that state," Staples said.

Island Health said it will conduct a review of the care Eurchukreceived in the health authority's facilities.

"At Island Health our hearts are broken for the family andfriends of this young man," spokeswoman Meribeth Burton said in astatement.

"As his family is bravely speaking about the dangers of illicitdrugs, we remind everyone: don't use alone, have a naloxone kit andbe trained to use it."

Memorial

The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed it is in the "very early"stages of investigating the death of a male teen from Victoria.

Oak Bay High School, which Elliot attended in addition to MountDouglas Secondary School, issued a notice of his death to parents.

The school district's critical response team was at the schoolFriday and will be on site next week to provide additionalcounselling support for students, according to an email shared byone of the parents.

A memorial event for Elliot will be held later in the week.