Marlborough mom lost two sons to overdose. Her work in raising awareness draws praise
Marlborough resident Cheryl Juaire, who lost two sons to opioid overdoses, is being recognized for her work in raising awareness about substance use disorder.
Juaire will be the first recipient of the MiraVista Behavioral Health Center's You-Have-Our AdMIRAtion Award in 2025, according to a community announcement. Her efforts include connecting parents who have experienced similar losses and highlighting the impact of substance use disorder on families and communities.
One of Juaire's significant initiatives is the creation of a specialty license plate featuring the words 'Overdose Awareness' and the logo of her nonprofit, Team Sharing Inc. The plate is expected to debut this summer, following a successful campaign to secure more than 750 pre-orders required by the state Registry of Motor Vehicles. A portion of the fee from each plate will benefit Team Sharing.
'End the stigma': Marlborough nonprofit leads effort for 'overdose awareness' license plate
'We hope it will save lives,' Juaire said in a statement.
Her journey into advocacy began after the death of her younger son, Corey Merrill, in 2011, according to the announcement. She founded Team Sharing in 2017 to support parents who have lost children to substance use disorder. Her older son, Sean Merrill, also struggled with substance use and died in 2021. Before his death, the two had discussed the idea of a specialty plate as a birthday present.
'We are hoping it will strike up a conversation because anyone who has a plate has been affected or knows someone who has been affected,' Juaire said in a statement. 'We hope to be able to share information, resources, support. We hope that it will end the stigma, and I hope everyone in Massachusetts will have one on their vehicles.'
'The biggest barrier is us': Existence of overdose prevention centers slowed by stigma
Her work aligns with MiraVista's commitment to providing treatment for individuals with substance use disorder and fostering community support.
'Through nothing less than a Herculean effort, Cheryl has turned her grief into action,' said Kimberley Lee, MiraVista's chief of creative strategy and development, in a statement. 'Her advocacy work aligns with MiraVista's commitment to provide both treatment for individuals with a substance use disorder, as well as understanding of the disorder as a medical condition so communities will support and not judge individuals in need of treatment.'
MiraVista created the admiration award to honor organizations and individuals that help foster connectedness within communities.
For more information on the specialty plate, contact Juaire at cheryl@teamsharinginc.org. To order when issued, visit mass.gov/how-to/order-a-special-license-plate-to-support-a-favorite-cause.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Marlborough mom honored for work raising awareness of substance abuse
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