Heather McDonald and Shane Steinhauer were in attendance at Nanaimo’s event marking International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31, 2024. The Monday following the event, they spoke with People First Radio. The pair have worked together on a grass roots peer outreach initiative called Nightkeepers.
McDonald said that in the week leading up to and including the event, they learned that five people they knew had died.
“There was an amazing person who is a member of the Snuneymuxw community here. Very well loved, who was very active in helping resuscitate others,” she said.
“Another individual I’m thinking of had pre-existing health conditions. They were a very caring member of community who was very well loved,” she said. “They were just looking at helping teach graphic design, to Literacy [Central] in Nanaimo. They were just about to get housed.”
Steinhauer says it’s hard to keep going amidst the deaths of friends, but that at the end of the day, he feels he has no choice but to push forward.
“These are human beings that need care, that need help,” he said.
“So even though I’m feeling down because all my friends are dying and it’s traumatic, I still have to push forward to help them, to let them know that I’m going to be there no matter what, helping them and letting them know that someone cares enough to be there for them.”
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