Labrador woman who lost son to overdose urges other parents to talk to their children about drugs

A Labrador mother holding a community event for International Overdose Awareness Day says parents need to talk to their children about illicit drugs — before it's too late.

Sheila Cooper of North West River knows what can happen — and is urging parents to warn their children heading off to college or university against experimenting with drugs.

"Just don't try it. Don't," said Cooper. "You don't know what's in there anymore. So don't try it, because if you do, your first time could very easily be your last time."

Cooper's son Jon was clean, she said, until he went to a concert and decided to buy a gram of cocaine. On May 23, 2022, Cooper received a call from her daughter-in-law, asking her if she was sitting down.

"And that was the day my son was pronounced dead from an overdose."

The coroner told the Coopers the cocaine Jon took was laced with fentanyl. This summer, the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary warned people about illicit drugs being laced with the highly potent opioid after a rash of deaths from overdoses in the province.

Cooper said families who have had a child or parent die of an overdose face a lot of stigma, and often suffer in silence.

"People are afraid to say [it]. I even sometimes don't like saying it: 'My son died of an overdose,'" Cooper said. "There's such a stigma, right? I don't want other parents to be afraid to come out and say, 'My child died of an overdose."

Cooper said the stereotyping of who is dying of overdoses needs to stop. Jon was a good, caring person, she says — a world traveller, tattoo artist and deepsea diver. A person who overdoses can be a community leader, a person with a full-time job, a university student, and it also be a person who lives on the streets, she said, and everyone deserves compassion and support.

Cooper said all parents need to talk to their children about illicit drugs, even if they are "good kids." 

"Don't ever say 'not my kid' or 'My kid would never do this,'" Cooper said. "If you don't have the talk and something happens, you'll regret it for the rest of your life." 

Barbecue planned for International Overdose Awareness Day 

Cooper and her daughter have organized a barbecue at Kinsmen Park in Happy Valley-Goose Bay to mark International Overdose Awareness Day on Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. depending on the weather.

There will be free food and music, Cooper said, with safe use supplies on one side, and family activities, including face-painting, on the other.

"I just want people to come together and recognize that this can hit anybody," Cooper said. "This is everybody's problem." 

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