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Grieving mothers share stories of loss at Memorial Wall (8 photos)

'There are things I would have done differently, but the love was always there. Unfortunately love wasn’t enough'

About two hundred people attended a service at the Memorial Wall Wednesday marking International Overdose Awareness Day outside the Civic Centre, with two local mothers who each lost a child to overdose sharing their stories of grief.

Jennifer Theriault was one of two mothers who spoke at this year's service. Cradled in her hands was a wooden box with a photo of her daughter Hannah, who died in 2018 at the age of 19.

“I come to this event in honour of my daughter and I actually bring my daughter — that’s not a box, my daughter is in that box,” said Theriault, after the event.

It took almost four years for Theriault to work up the courage to speak publicly about her daughter. She said Hannah would be proud of her for facing her fear.

“Hannah wanted to be an addictions counsellor, I am trying to follow in her footsteps and help her friends. I speak to many of them on a daily basis,” said Theriault.

Although she didn’t speak publicly at last year’s event, Theriault did place the box with her daughter’s remains in the arms of Mayor Christian Provenzano during the 2021 service.

“This year he came up to me. He knew who I was,” said Theriault. “Now he remembers and he knows Hannah’s story.”

Theriault wants to see more services coming online for people living with addiction in Sault Ste. Marie, but also notes there are more supports than there were when her daughter was seeking help.

“The last time my daughter wanted to go to treatment it was a two-week wait— she wasn’t going to make two weeks,” said Theriault. “Everything is happening, it’s just happening too slow. I just wish it would happen faster so we can save more lives.”

The service continued with remarks by Provenzano and a rendition of the song Dancing in the Sky, sung by Tym Morrison.

International Overdose Awareness Day began early on Wednesday, with the raising of a purple flag at the Civic Centre, alongside the Canadian and Ontario flags.

SOYA founder Connie Raynor-Elliott said this is the first year the flag has been raised at city hall.

At nightfall, there are plans for the water tower at the Water Tower Inn to be lit with a purple light.

After the service at the Memorial Wall, people attending the event made their way to the Roberta Bondar Pavilion for a free barbecue and information session, with SOYA, the Sault Ste. Marie and Area Drug Strategy and its partners.

The Community Wellness Bus was on hand, as were paramedics doing demonstrations of CPR and administering Naloxone. Staff from Algoma Public Health, Breton House, Ken Brown Recovery Home and others each had a table to discuss the services they offer.

Raynor-Elliott said referrals is one of the most important free services that SOYA provides.

“There’s that big myth there’s no services in the Sault,” said Raynor-Elliott. “There are services, people just have to find them.”

Lisa Foggia is the second of two mothers who spoke at the service at the Memorial Wall. Her daughter Tia died in 2020.

Raynor-Elliott said mothers who lose a child to addiction tend to become either withdrawn or come out like a lion. 

“When we lost Tia she was fierce. She is a really strong advocate,” Raynor-Elliott said of Foggia.

Speaking to SooToday after the event, Foggia said it is important for her to speak at events like International Overdose Awareness Day to let other people who are grieving know they are not alone.

“It’s sad because you see the tears and the sorrow on peoples’ faces just trying to hold it together,” said Foggia. “I see so many different faces and people from all walks of life and I think people are starting to get the picture of what a big problem this is.”

She said the stigma experienced by people who live with addiction is still a big problem in Sault Ste. Marie and other communities.

“It’s because people don’t have a clear understanding of what addiction is,” said Foggia.

Thinking back to watching her own daughter’s struggles, Foggia said she didn’t have the understanding of the issue that she does now.

“There are things I would have done differently, but the love was always there. Unfortunately love wasn’t enough,” she said.

Many people have approached her in the years since Tia’s death, telling her they didn’t know her daughter was living with addiction.

“They have a sense of what an addict looks like,” said Foggia. “No, they are your mothers, your daughters, your friends, your neighbours, your children and people you talk to every day who struggle. It doesn’t have to be opioids, it could be drugs, alcohol, it could be anything. You have to connect with people on a human level. It’s so lacking.”


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Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
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