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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Seventy-seven lives lost to drug overdoses in Luzerne County so far this year will not go unnoticed or unaddressed, according to Luzerne County&#8217;s district attorney.</p><p>DA Stefanie Salavantis on Sunday predicted with regret that the number would double by year&#8217;s end. She lamented that not only were lives lost, but family members and the community at large were adversely affected by those losses.</p><p>Fathers who won&#8217;t be at their daughter&#8217;s weddings, sons who will no longer be buying flowers for their mothers on Mother&#8217;s Day, husbands who won&#8217;t be there to fix the car or mow the grass or tell family members that they love them.</p><p>To attendees of the fifth annual Overdose Awareness Day at Kirby Park, the absence of a loved one because of a drug overdose was all too real.</p><p>The event, held in conjunction with International Overdose Awareness Day, brought about 300 people to the park, many eager not only to tell the stories of loved ones lost to addiction, but to reach out to others suffering after such a loss.</p><p>As state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Kingston, looked out at the crowd gathered to listen to him speak about addiction and overdose, he referred to event T-shirts that read, &#8220;Every 12 minutes,&#8221; referring to the frequency of lives lost to overdose.</p><p>&#8220;That is not acceptable,&#8221; said Kaufer. &#8220;We&#8217;ve got to work to reduce addiction and overdose, even if we have to do it one minute at a time.&#8221;</p><p><strong>A comprehensive approach</strong></p><p>Kaufer, co-chair of the Pennsylvania Heroin, Opioid Prevention and Education (PA-HOPE) Caucus, which works with a bipartisan group of legislators to address the state opioid problem, said he is looking forward to introducing about 10 pieces of legislation this fall aimed at addressing the drug problem in the state.</p><p>Kaufer has been schooling himself on all aspects of addiction, even taking time to visit a suboxone clinic, to familiarize himself with medically assisted treatment.</p><p>The answer, he said, lies in a comprehensive approach, which treats addiction as a disease and reduces its stigma, so addicts and their families are more likely to seek treatment and improve the quality of their lives in efforts to reduce the chances of overdose.</p><p>Organizer Carol Coolbaugh, who lost her son, Erik, seven years ago, works with legislators, state and county agencies, treatment centers and family members of addicts, providing a network of support and information for those who are still suffering.</p><p>This year, Coolbaugh spearheaded efforts to provide information about Naloxone, a medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.</p><p>According to the state website, Pennsylvania has a standing order in place enabling pharmacies to dispense it to the general public without a prescription.</p><p>In response to those who might ask why money would be spent to bring an addict &#8220;back&#8221; after he or she has voluntarily overdoses on an opioid, Michael Donahue, Luzerne County&#8217;s human services division head, said the answer is simply to give them another chance at success.</p><p><strong>Stories of loss</strong></p><p>Attendees of the event who had lost a loved one to overdose said they were attending to support others who had experienced similar grief and to support putting mechanisms in place that would make death due to overdose less likely in the future.</p><p>Sandra Martin, Swoyersville, who lost her daughter to an overdose in January, wants to know where the drugs are coming from.</p><p>She believes her daughter, Heather Sparks McAvoy, was abusing fentanyl and Benadryl in order to manage pain. Originally, she said, McAvoy was prescribed oxycontin after a car accident 10 years ago.</p><p>The girl that she remembers as loving to swim with the dolphins in the Florida Keys, seemed to enter a downward spiral, ultimately ending in her death.</p><p>&#8220;I was shocked,&#8221; she said. &#8220;She was my life.&#8221;</p><p>Other attendees shared Martin&#8217;s shock and disbelief coupled with her determination to move forward and help others.</p><p>Patricia Emett, who lost her son, Christopher Emett, just a few days ago, said her son had been in recovery and was seemingly doing well.</p><p>Last Tuesday, he dropped her off at work and said, &#8220;No money, no food, no home, no matter what, I still love you.&#8221;</p><p>Then Christopher Emett went for breakfast with his dad.</p><p>When he was found dead hours later, he was kneeling as if in prayer.</p><p>When his mother went to move his car, the radio was set to a religious station.</p><p>&#8220;These aren&#8217;t bad people,&#8221; said Salavantis. &#8220;These are good people with a bad disease.&#8221;</p><p><strong>&#8216;One day at a time&#8217;</strong></p><p>Juan R., a participant in the Salvation Army recovery program, said he attended the event to provide support for those who have lost a loved one to addiction and also to remind himself of the importance of his own recovery.</p><p>Juan, 56, said he first joined Narcotics Anonymous in 1988 and had 34 months of continuous sobriety.</p><p>Since then, he said, he&#8217;s been in and out of the 12-step program.</p><p>He remembers agreeing to meet someone for coffee after a meeting and getting to the meeting only to find out that she had died of an overdose.</p><p>He stresses the importance of addressing every area of his life in pursuing sobriety.</p><p>&#8220;To be honest, for me, it was Coors Light, drugs, a hotel, and a female,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But this time, I&#8217;m more committed to my recovery. Something&#8217;s different, better.&#8221;</p><p>When asked how long he is sober, Juan doesn&#8217;t hesitate.</p><p>&#8220;I have 103 days,&#8221; he said on Sunday. &#8220;One day at a time.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Another avenue to help</strong></p><p>As Donahue and Kaufer made their way out of the park, they talked about the importance of vigorously addressing the issue of substance abuse in an continuing effort to reduce the number of lives affected and lost to the disease.</p><p>Donahue is hoping that a recovery support center, that will provide recreational activities, occupational opportunities and case management to those struggling with addiction, will open next year with funding coming through the nonprofit Northeast Behavioral Health Care Consortium.</p><p>Twenty-four recently trained certified recovery specialists, all successfully recovering from addiction, will be available to staff the center, with eight already having been hired.</p><p>The event concluded with a brief walk, following a balloon release in which silver and purple balloons rose to the sky, each one bearing a name of someone lost to addiction.</p><p>&#8220;Hate the disease,&#8221; said Coolbaugh. &#8220;But, keep loving the addict.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Alexus, 16, and Wendy Beyer look at pictures of family members Richie Stepanski and David Glycenfer, who both died of drug overdoses. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL082916overdose2-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Alexus, 16, and Wendy Beyer look at pictures of family members Richie Stepanski and David Glycenfer, who both died of drug overdoses. </caption0><photoCredit0>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL082916overdose4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Sandra Martin writes the name of her daughter, Heather McAvoy, who died of a drug overdose at age 46, on a remembrance list as Cindy Koziel waits to write the name of her son, Douglas, who also died earlier this year from a drug overdose at age 26. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL082916overdose4-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Sandra Martin writes the name of her daughter, Heather McAvoy, who died of a drug overdose at age 46, on a remembrance list as Cindy Koziel waits to write the name of her son, Douglas, who also died earlier this year from a drug overdose at age 26. </caption1><photoCredit1>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL082916overdose3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A group walks inside Kirby Park on Sunday to raise awareness of the problem of drug overdoses. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL082916overdose3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>A group walks inside Kirby Park on Sunday to raise awareness of the problem of drug overdoses. </caption2><photoCredit2>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL082916overdose1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Patricia and Chris Emmett, who lost their 23-year-old son, Chris, last week to a drug overdose, share thoughts about their son during Overdose Awareness Day at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/web1_TTL082916overdose1-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Patricia and Chris Emmett, who lost their 23-year-old son, Chris, last week to a drug overdose, share thoughts about their son during Overdose Awareness Day at Kirby Park in Wilkes-Barre on Sunday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Loved ones gather on Overdose Awareness Day</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>OVERDOSES IN LUZERNE COUNTY</strong></p><p>2014 - 67</p><p>2015 - 95</p><p>So far in 2016 - 77</p><p><strong>FOR HELP AFTER</strong></p><p><strong>AN OVERDOSE</strong></p><p>GRASP &#8212; Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing &#8212; provides support to families and welcomes new members. Contact group facilitator Carol Coolbaugh at 570-991-7199.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Victims of drug overdoses remembered at Kirby Park event in Wilkes-Barre