Tag Archive for: #drugoverdoseawareness

Heaven Leigh Nelson

TownTalk: July 25 Event To Raise Awareness About Drug Overdose, Help Loved Ones Remember Victims

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Patricia Drewes’ daughter, Heaven, loved to watch the sun come up. And although she was only 5-foot-4, she could play a didgeridoo – a wind instrument that Australian Aboriginal people make out of a long, hollow tree branch – like nobody’s business.

But Heaven died a little more than two years ago, the victim of a lethal drug overdose. Drewes spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Town Talk about an event set for July 25 to raise awareness about drug addiction and what Drewes calls “drug induced homicide.”

The July event will take place at the Vance County Courthouse from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Drewes said anyone who wants to add a loved one’s name to a banner – that will be displayed at the Henderson event and other events across the state – to contact her via social media or by telephone. “People are adding their loved ones daily,” she said. The deadline to submit names is June 11.

“We are trying to bring awareness to what is going on in our community,” Drewes said, of overdoses and deaths associated with drugs laced with fentanyl. Drewes said her daughter died because what she thought was heroin was actually pure fentanyl.  “When you do that, it’s not an overdose. When you add fentanyl, that changes everything. That’s murder,” she said.

“My child made the choice to do drugs,” Drews said. “But she did not make the choice to die.”

Since her daughter’s death, Drews has worked to raise awareness and help find resources for families struggling with addiction.

The first banner she created has more than 40 names on it – the second banner is still a work in progress, but Drewes said she’ll carry the banners to events in North Carolina and a national event later this summer in Washington, D.C.

Drewes created a Facebook group called Forgotten Victims Vance, Granville, Franklin, and Warren Counties N.C. which has helped families work through their grief as well as providing support and awareness. “You don’t have to go this alone,” she said. “We’re here to help you as much as possible.”

The harsh reality of addiction is all around, Drewes said. “Don’t ever say ‘not my child’” she warned. (Addiction) doesn’t discriminate. It can happen to anyone’s child,” she said.

For more information about adding a loved one’s name to the banner, contact Drewes at 252.204.9611 or via FB through the Forgotten Victims page.

(TownTalk Audio for June 2, 2021)

Heaven Leigh Nelson

Town Talk 08/24/20: Overdose Awareness Event in Memory of Heaven Leigh Nelson, Other Victims

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

Patricia Drews, organizer of an upcoming drug overdose awareness event, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

Drews lost her 24-year-old daughter Heaven Leigh Nelson to a “drug-induced homicide” on January 28, 2019. Nelson had taken heroin that was laced with a lethal dose of fentanyl.

“They call it an overdose, but I choose not to use the term ‘accident’ or ‘overdose,’” said Drews. “When an otherwise survivable drug is laced with an un-survivable amount of fentanyl, that is murder or ‘drug-induced homicide.’”

Drews said her daughter grew up mainly in Alberta, Canada, graduating from the School of the Arts there before moving back to the Granville County area.

While talented and full-of-life, Drews said her daughter suffered from anxiety and depression and, like many young people with mental health issues, turned to drugs as a coping mechanism.

Noting that those who are bipolar and/or suffer from anxiety, depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are statistically more likely to use illegal drugs, Drews said ending the stigma around mental health and increasing support services is another part of the equation.

Photo courtesy Patricia Drews

“It’s overwhelming when you see how many young people we are losing at an alarming rate in this country alone,” Drews said. “We lose 192 a day – the equivalent of a full plane crashing every day in this country. Where is the outrage? Where is the change?”

In the roughly year and a half since her daughter’s death, Drews said she has become an advocate for young people suffering from mental health disorders and addiction, as well as a proponent for stricter laws and accountability measures for drug dealers.

“It’s terrible when you lose your child,” said Drews. “I try to tell other mothers that we can lay down and die with our children or we can stand up and fight for justice and change. I will not shut up. I will not give up. I will not go away. That was my only child. We have to hold these drug dealers accountable for their actions.”

In observance of International Overdose Awareness Day celebrated each August 31, Drews, family members who have lost loved ones and various community groups will hold an overdose awareness event on Sunday, August 30, 2020, from 5 until 7:30 p.m. at the Vance County Courthouse in Henderson.

Drews has made a banner for the event consisting of 42 overdose victims from Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties. A national group called “Can You See Me Now” will also be present with multiple banners consisting of 150 names and faces each.

The event will include a balloon release, candlelight vigil, a remembrance walk, prayer and plenty of support for those in attendance.

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.