'He had a future,' says mother of man who died of fatal overdose

The last time Janet Milbradt saw her son Liam was for a Mother's Day dinner on May 11.

The 26-year-old treated his mom to a sushi dinner in Langley, B.C. At the end of the night, a familiar parting ritual unfolded.

"As always, when we leave, I'd give him a hug and say, 'I love you. Be good.' And he'd always say, 'I love you, too, Mom.'"

Six days later, Liam Milbradt was found dead in his Abbotsford apartment during a wellness check. He had overdosed the day before. 

He was one of 197 British Columbians who died in May.

More than 10,000 British Columbians have died due to toxic drugs since a health emergency was declared in 2016. Family and friends want people to know their loved ones were regular people with jobs and plans for the future who didn't fit a stereotype of drug addiction.

Liam's mother says the coroners' report into his death found he had consumed a drug called etizolam that was laced with a fatal dose of fentanyl.

An analogue of benzodiazepine, etizolam is a strong sedative whose effects cannot be reversed by naloxone, which challenges first responders trying to save lives.

Etizolam was detected in 39 per cent of drugs that underwent expedited testing between July 2020 and June 2022. 

Liam's mother says her son didn't fit the stereotype of someone addicted to drugs.

"My son didn't really have an awful story," she said. "He was a good son. He had his struggles."

The youngest of three siblings, Janet says Liam was a bit of a rebel. As a teenager, he struggled with anxiety and depression.

But in his mid-20s, he started coming into his own. He finished trade school and earned his Red Seal certification as a welder.

"He had a car. He worked. He loved life and he had plans. He had a future," his mom said.

She had spoken to Liam about his drug use.

"He denied, denied, denied," Janet Milbradt said. "But I had a gut feeling that he was using stuff he shouldn't have been."

She believes the guilt and stigma of drug use prevented her son from openly discussing it.

"I just feel like if my son had been able to get his drug tested easily without fear of stigma or shame in carrying it, maybe he'd be alive today too."

B.C.'s chief coroner Lisa Lapointe has repeated the need for a safer drug supply, as many advocates, academics and health experts have been doing since the health emergency declaration in 2016.

Janet Milbradt says until her son's death, she had no idea how toxic the drug supply had become.

"I know my son should have known better, but at the same time, do you have to die for your mistakes? That's what makes me really mad."