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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Vigil to honour Manitobans lost to overdoses on Aug. 31
Devin Ramdoyal had a gift for connecting with people, devoting close to 500 hours as a volunteer at St. Amant. But while Devin brought joy to others' lives, he struggled with mental illness since childhood and turned to drugs to self-medicate. Devin's life ended on Feb. 7, 2021, when he overdosed at the age of 22. Supplied photo A vigil honouring loved ones lost to overdoses will be held at 8 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Pembina Fisher Park. Sandra Ingram, Devin's mother, described him as 'the light of her life.' 'He was my beautiful boy and my only child,' she said. 'This could happen to anyone. Nobody sets out to be an addict.' As she navigated her grief, Ingram connected with parents who also lost children to overdoses and became involved with Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH), an advocacy group of Canadian families affected by substance use-related harms and deaths. A retired communications professor, Ingram channelled her pain into action. She became the first facilitator in Winnipeg for Healing Hearts, an MSTH bereavement support group that meets once a month at Riverview Community Centre. She now chairs the local planning committee for International Overdose Awareness Day. For the second year, a vigil will be held on Aug. 31 at Pembina Fisher Park. Purple flag markers will memorialize the Manitobans who fatally overdosed in 2024. Manitoba Justice's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported 570 suspected substance-related deaths in 2024. The event starts at 8 p.m. with a speaker introducing the sponsor, MSTH. The candlelight vigil will begin as the sun goes down. Some attendees will share stories, while others may simply state the name of a loved one who passed. Mondays A weekly look at news and events that matter in your communities. The vigil is open to anyone who wants to show support. 'Overdoses are happening in every community — in your own backyard. The more stigma is broken down, the better chance we have to help those in need,' said Ingram. Ingram's message to parents is clear. 'Be aware that any child who is different — whether that's a learning disability, mental illness or non-heterosexual orientation — is more at risk. With all the pressures of daily life and social media, it's sometimes too much. Get your kids the help and support they need.' For those using drugs alone, the National Overdose Response Service ( is a confidential, anonymous phone-based service that acts as a virtual safe consumption site. For more information, visit Candice G. BallLord Roberts community correspondent Candice G. Ball is a community correspondent for Lord Roberts. Email her at candicegball@ Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
24-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
Trey Helten, advocate for drug users in Vancouver, dead at 42
Trey Helten, a prominent advocate for drug users and those experiencing homelessness in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, has died at the age of 42, according to friends and colleagues. Sarah Blyth, a friend of Helten's and the executive director of the Overdose Prevention Society (OPS), where he worked, said his life mission was to help people. "There was really no one like him and I don't think there will ever be another person like him," Blyth said Thursday morning on CBC's The Early Edition. She said Helten started working with the OPS in 2017 as a volunteer and worked his way up the organization, eventually becoming the general manager of the overdose prevention site. "He came in and just said, 'I want to be part of the solution, I want to help people,'" said Blyth. Helten went above and beyond to help those struggling around him, said Blyth, driving people places, visiting people at the hospital, and even housing and feeding people in his own home. "Coming from the perspective of a person with lived experience, who had at one point been homeless and had at one point been a drug user, he came with a lot of empathy and understanding," she said. Helten would host Narcotics Anonymous meetings often, according to Blyth, who said the gatherings grew in attendance. She said she hopes he will be an inspiration to people, especially those who are struggling with addiction: "I think he would just say, 'Keep trying.'" Advocacy work Deb Bailey, member of Moms Stop the Harm, said Helten fought for causes he believed in, often speaking on proposals at city hall and advocating to officials on behalf of those struggling with addiction. "His resolve and strength was really quite amazing," said Bailey. She said Helten was approachable and always willing to help, often working with members of Moms Stop the Harm when it was needed. He would also do NARCAN demonstrations at Adler University, where she was a professor. "I feel really devastated by his loss and it's kind of hard to believe it," Bailey said. "He was an inspiration to a lot of people."
