The Roanoke community celebrates Overdose Awareness Day

Roanoke, Virginia – Drug overdoses claim the lives of thousands of Virginians annually, shattering families.

Hundreds of individuals gathered at the Taubman Museum on Thursday to share their tales of loss and recovery in an effort to combat the issue and eradicate the stigma.
Brenda Rowe remarked, “I love to be surrounded by people who really get me and can feel my pain.”

A year and a half ago, Brenda Rowe’s grandson passed away from a heroin overdose. She was a featured speaker at the previous year’s event, where she talked about overcoming the loss of a loved one.

With other people’s support, I feel like I get stronger the more I talk about it. With everything that he offers me and everyone around me to support and assist me, I know that God is my strength,” Rowe remarked.

Over 100,000 drug overdose deaths occur in the US every year, with over 2,500 of those deaths occurring in Virginia, according to the CDC.

The director of the Roanoke Valley Collective Response, Bailey Medeiros, stated, “There’s a connection that happens that just can’t be duplicated anywhere else. To gather people who may have all lost someone they loved to an overdose or watched someone they love experience losing someone.”

We’re not different from one another or less than that, and while recovery can look different for each person, Medeiros said, “I know that there’s still work to be done and that I need to be brave, and it might offer something to someone else.”

According to her, there is still a great deal of stigma associated with overdose bereavement.

“Talking with someone who has experienced something similar to you just offers something—a connection and an identification that not much else can,” Medeiros added.

Saturday, August 31, is Overdose Awareness Day.