By Edward Hitchins, Special to the Times Chronicle

In the time it takes to read this article, a number of people will have died from drug overdose, leaving “empty chairs” at their family’s dinner table.

This fact continues to haunt Jill McCullum from Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH), a non-profit group dedicated to raising awareness and stopping the stigma associated with opioid use.

Every year on August 31, most B.C. residents’ eyes shift to the wondrous views of endless scenery, the smells of endless treats on the grill, or the return to class after the Labour Day long weekend.

But this year another sight greeted eyes in Oliver on International Overdose Awareness Day – empty purple chairs throughout the community, a reminder of what the overdose crisis has done to families.

For McCullum, the day is not one of celebration, but of getting the message out. Did you know that the opioid crisis has resulted in the deaths of 10,000 residents of the province since a health emergency was declared in 2016? 

“It burns you out; it’s tough,” she admitted.

But McCullum’s inspirational tenacity continues to shine on since the overdose death of her son Nick five years ago. Nick was a veteran in the war against Afghanistan but died by overdose on March 27, 2017.

McCullum, who founded the Oliver chapter of MSTH, said that regardless of how much impact that has been made, there are still many others who are thrown by the wayside.

“There isn’t any support for brothers and sisters out there,” she said. 

Adds Jenny Churchill, another member of MSTH from Saskatchewan who lost her son to an overdose in January 2018: “Sibling loss changes everything.”

The numbers are long, scary and staggering: Although year to year overall illicit drug overdose in B.C.  is down 17 per cent from 2021 to 2022, deaths among people over 50 have gone up 37 per cent in the past six years. 

“This is not a quick fix,” said McCullum.

But the recent purple chair initiative prompted locals to think about the crisis. It was assisted by Oliver’s Painted Chair group run by Ron and Tara Hovanes. They painted the chairs which were placed in various locations such as Oliver Eats, Pappa’s Firehouse Bistro, and Innervisions hair salon.

Ron, former mayor of Oliver, said contributing to this cause was a natural fit for them.

“Every chair represents an empty chair at a table, the loss of a loved one through the opioid crisis,” he said. “On many levels, it was something that if we could offer support, we were able and very willing to do.”

The MSTH group was founded by three mothers who searched for answers in the wake of what is an overlooked epidemic, especially in the ongoing waters of COVID. But McCullum is firmly focused on its future; she sees this as a forever fight.

”In Oliver, there are five of us that are a face. There could be 15, 20 parents out there,” she said. “There are others that are dealing with the stigma and the grief. For them, it’s too new.”

For more information on MSTH, visit their website at motherstoptheharm.com.