Two Winnipeg women are taking their experience with grief and channeling it to create better support for families dealing with overdose deaths.
Rebecca Rummery lost her boyfriend Rob to an overdose in January 2018 and told CTV News when she left the hospital she had nowhere to turn.
“I walked out of the hospital and my world had stopped, but the rest of the world was still going on,” said Rummery.
Eventually Rummery found an online support group, and then connected with Arlene Last-Kolb six months later. Last-Kolb lost her son Jessie in 2014 after an overdose.
Last-Kolb has worked to advocate for families dealing with the grief of an overdose death, finding the best support was being around people who understand what she is experiencing.
“To go from seeing someone every day and then not the next day, it can’t be explained,” said Last-Kolb.
The pair created a pamphlet on overdose loss that provides families with information on in-person resources, online support groups and contact numbers.
“Our main goal is to have them in hospitals so you have that instantly as soon as you experience loss and know where to turn,” said Rummery.
The pamphlets cost about 60 cents each to produce, a cost they’re currently paying out of pocket in hopes of furthering their project.
Last week, Last-Kolb and Rummery met with a representative from the health minister’s office to look at distributing them in hospitals across the province.
A government spokesperson told CTV News their proposal has been forwarded to departmental officials for review.
Winnipeg Police Service victims’ services department also has a stack to hand out, with a representative saying they applauded the initiative.
Last-Kolb and Rummery tell CTV News they’re reaching out to Manitoba RCMP, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and other community organizations in Manitoba.
