Labrador mom hopes overdose awareness event can help shed stigma

A North West River woman hopes a community event in Happy Valley-Goose Bay can bring more awareness to overdose deaths and reduce the stigma that surrounds them.

Saturday is International Overdose Awareness Day, and Sheila Cooper is putting off her third End Overdose event in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Cooper lost her son, Jon, tofentanyl poisoning after using laced cocaineat a concert in 2022. He was 36.

"I lost my son, andI really don't want other parents going through what we went through. And it's important to keep people alive and safe, and keep people off of drugs."

Cooper said she wanted to create a space that would encourage people to connect with one another. Saturday's event includes things like face painting for kids, a community sale and education sessions for how to properly use a naloxone kit.

She hopes connecting with people can lighten the shame and stigma that she says comes from the experience of anoverdose-related death.

"I just want people to be more familiar with overdoses, drugs, what's going on in our community. And hopefully with education comes more people getting involved, and hopefully controlling the situation a little more here," she said.

"I see that other parents are opening up to what happened to their children. And it's more out there, and people who have family members who are addicted and who are concerned and don't know where to turn, I find that they're more open to ask for help or questions or whatever they have."

Donations from the event will go toward a not for profit created in Jon Cooper's honour that helps people in Labrador have access to safe usage supplies.

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