'They caught me': Harvest helps former addict pick up the pieces after husband's death

Andrew Hermkens and Rina Morris are addicts. That is how they describe themselves.

When I first met them we were in a little nondescript office at Winnipeg Harvest and they sat side by side smelling of smoke and looking defeated by the street.

Every year at CBC Manitoba we devote a day to Harvesting Hope -- a day the station spends sharing stories of people in our community who have been helped by the Winnipeg Harvest food bank and its member agencies.

My assignment for the show usually begins with a producer who says, "Hey Marcy, go spend the day at Winnipeg Harvest and just talk to people." That simple assignment in 2013 led me to this couple, who have changed my understanding of what strength, success and love really mean.

Rina and Drew, as he was known, had been living under bridges and on the streets of Winnipeg for a decade. He was also known as "Dr. Drew, the squeegee guy" for setting up at his regular corner at Maryland Street and Portage Avenue. They used all of their money to buy crack or other drugs.

The needle marks on Rina's arms tell a story of a woman who has used and abused since she was a child and who has been sexually exploited throughout her adult life.

Falling in love

Drew was left to take care of his siblings when he was only six. For a time in his life, he found some stability, but his demons and addictions ultimately led him to jail and then to the streets of Winnipeg. That's where he met Rina, and they fell in love.  

Like most couples who fall in love, Rina and Drew made plans and promises to each other. Their plans started with getting clean. Rina said when Drew looked at her, she felt like she was truly seen for the first time in years.

"Two addicts aren't supposed to make it," Drew said, but he told me that they would be the exception.

At first, they weren't. Drew and Rina were surrounded by people who fed their addictions and they were continually pulled back into their dangerous lifestyles.   

But in 2013, in the months before I first met them, they pitched a tent outside Winnipeg Harvest. 

The tent was beside a little tree-filled area that used to exist outside the building on Winnipeg Avenue.  

More importantly, though, it was away from their addicted friends and near a food bank where they thought they might find a little help when they needed it.

'I need help'

The tent was their sanctuary. They said it was the first step toward a sober, meaningful life.

It is hard to imagine that they would see it that way when most of us can't fathom spending a bitter winter night in a tent flapping in the cold wind, but as Rina said, "It wasn't a North End shopping cart." 

Winnipeg Harvest executive director David Northcott noticed the tent and ultimately reached out to the couple. 

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When Rina and Drew managed the courage to go inside, they met with some counsellors who gave them volunteering jobs. Drew said that keeping busy was critical, since addicts struggle with stimulation. If you are bored, you'll start using again, is how he put it.

He also admitted how hard it was to walk through the doors in the first place.

"It was really painful to say, 'I need help.' They said ... 'you know what? You're not the only one.' They let me know that just because I needed help doesn't mean I was a nobody."

Rina was eager to share with me how Harvest had helped her get some dental work. She explained that being a crack addict rots the teeth out of your mouth and beamed with pride that she could "see that smile again." 

Wedding bells and sparkling lights

Rina and Drew continued to volunteer at the food bank. They also started to engage in some of the social services that Harvest now offers.

Drew took forklift and computer training and Rina completed an extensive rehabilitation program. They moved out of the tent and into a house. They got a dog.

"It doesn't cost as much to feed him as it did to get high," Drew said.

They got sober. And they got married.  

Rina sent me wedding photos. 

I visited them again at their rental home in Winnipeg to do an updated interview for CBC in December 2015. 

Rina gave me a coffee and asked what I took in it. I said cream and sugar and remember how she laughed. "Can you believe that we have it to give you?"

Drew shared how he started woodworking again and making bird houses. Rina showed me their Christmas tree, sparkling with lights, and introduced me to her mother, whom she had reconnected with after years apart. Drew, too, was contacted by his father, brother and kids.

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"They were surprised to see [that] my name was in the phone book. The first thing they said is, 'We thought you were dead. We thought you OD'd somewhere.' They were just so surprised," he said. "I feel like I'm becoming my old self again."

To die drug-free

During this year's Harvesting Hope broadcast, Rina joined me in our CBC studio to share another chapter in their story. Only this time, she was alone.

In July, Drew suffered a heart attack and died.  

I wasn't sure what to expect. Would she be overcome with grief? Would she be tempted by the drugs that had soothed her sorrows in the past? Who would Rina be without Drew?

What I had not expected was, as she would explain, she is no longer alone. She has Winnipeg Harvest.

"They caught me when it happened. After losing Drew, you go back to your old mindset, like, 'I need a drink,' or 'I need a hit,' but I don't need that."

Someone from Harvest has phoned her every month since Drew died, Rina said. She also continues to volunteer, giving talks about homelessness to students in the city.

She is also trying to keep her promise to her husband.

"How could I go back there? We've come so far. That was such a victory, to die drug-free. Even his family was blown away, because they thought years ago he died with a needle in his arm."

Rina says finances are tight, but she still lives in their home with her mother, who helps with the rent, and their dog Buddy, who reminds her of Drew's love of animals.  

I told her that she is one of the strongest people I've ever met.   

The memorial service for 51-year-old Drew Hermkens was held outside Winnipeg Harvest in the area where he and Rina first pitched their tent. It was an appropriate choice since it's the spot where they made a decision that would save their lives.

Thank goodness the doors were open.

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