By: Chelsea Kemp, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Brandon Sun
A Gone Too Soon Tree memorial was erected by Brandon and Area Overdose Awareness volunteers Saturday at Shoppers Mall to honour those who have been lost to drug- or substance-related deaths.
Volunteer Stacey Preston said 2021 marks the first time the tree has been put up at the mall. Their hope is the white tree decorated with purple ornaments will inspire people to stop and think about overdose awareness while Christmas shopping.
Having the tree topped with a purple star, the colour of overdose awareness, she said, serves as a reminder that some families and friends will have empty seats at the holiday table this year because a loved one has died from substance abuse.
In Manitoba alone, drug-related deaths have risen by 44 per cent in 2021.
“We all know someone or have been affected by overdose and drug use,” said volunteer Bailey Worme. “It’s an important thing to do and bring awareness — it happens every single day. This is something that is still ongoing, and it’s something that is an epidemic. Hopefully, we can bring a change one day.”
The overdose awareness tree has been adorned in purple ornamentals, metal feathers and metal angels all bearing the names of someone from Manitoba who has died from an overdose. The names were located through word-of-mouth, social media and people reaching out to the organization asking to have a loved one’s name placed on the memorial.
Preston is no stranger to the dangers of death by substance abuse — she had someone close to her die by blood poisoning from substance use this year. It was a heartbreaking and difficult experience, she said, and pushed her to find a way to help the greater community.
“The worst part is knowing she felt alone and she had no one,” Preston said. “I didn’t understand her struggle. I was learning, but I needed a lot more years with her to understand the depths of everything.”
It remains essential to share these stories to help put a face to the ongoing crisis, she added. Talking about these experiences can help shift the societal understanding of substance abuse because you never know who may be struggling and in need of a helping hand.
“The more you say, ‘I know somebody who has suffered from death by blood poisoning due to substances,’ then it becomes, ‘oh, I do too.’ You realize there are a lot more people who know someone if you just start a conversation,” Preston said, “Conversation and education are key for everybody to learn.”
Preston added she wants people to take the time to understand the issue and those affected so they can help shift away from the immediately judging someone experiencing substance abuse.
Instead, her hope is people will unpack ways they can help make a difference.
Brandon and Area Overdose Awareness is a local organization focused on raising awareness for overdoses and actively working to remove the stigma around those who die by overdose or are experiencing substance abuse.
There is a critical need to change the language around substance abuse, Worme said, to help create a cultural shift.
Worme, 28, is recovering from substance abuse, she said, and will still find herself using improper language such as the word “junkie” to describe her experience. She is now trying to move away from words like junkie or addict to describe herself, instead opting for the term “someone who has a problem with substance use disorder.”
Worme has lost “too many people to count” to death by overdose. She originally hails from Calgary, and it reached the point she had to quit all social media because it was too difficult constantly seeing her friends die.
“I want to be able to help bring change. I’m hoping that one day we are able to and I don’t have to attend any more funerals and watch all my friends go down that path,” Worme said. “I have about eight or nine people from my life that are going to be going up on that tree.”
Preston said a major part of changing the narrative is encouraging people to use more thoughtful language.
“There’s a lot of stigma around people who have passed away from blood poisoning due to substances and there’s a lot of poor language around people who suffer from substance abuse,” Preston said. “There’s a lot of stigma around pointing fingers and people only see the worst in society, but there a lot of other people that struggle with substance abuse that have very affluent jobs, there just not as noticeable.”
Many people have preconceived ideas about what substance abuse should look like, she said, and it does not always appear in the way people imagine — it can affect any community member, friend or family member.
It remains critical to bring this stigma to an end and help people realize that regardless of someone’s condition, they are someone’s family member or friend and they need to e treated with love, dignity and respect.
“You don’t talk down to a person who has cancer, and it’s the same thing with substance use disorder,” Worme said. “It’s a part of trauma response most of the time, and if people learn to understand trauma responses, they can understand why a person does what they do.”
If you would like to have a loved one’s name placed on the Gone Too Soon Tree at Shoppers Mall, email brandonoverdoseawareness@gmail.com, or call or text 204-573-0188 for more information on Brandon Overdose Awareness.
“No one should ever feel alone,” Preston said.
Memorial tree helps promote overdose awareness
