HARRISBURG, Pa. — A ceremony of remembrance was held at the state Capitol on Aug. 31 in honor of International Overdose Awareness Day.
The event was organized by the Pennsylvania chapter of Team Sharing, a network of people who have lost a loved one to an overdose.
Thousands of people die from overdoses each year in Pennsylvania. In recent years opioid overdose deaths have spiked in Pennsylvania, mirroring a national trend.
Among the attendees at the event was Brianna Grickis, 13, who was just 8 years old when she learned from family that her mom had died of a drug overdose. She recalled it was St. Patrick’s Day.
“They tried to give me green pancakes and cheer me up before they gave me the sad news. It’s really sad and I don’t wish that on anyone,” she said. “It’s so sad to me that there are so many people who overdose and so many people that have to go through the grieving process.”
Advocates at the event said their goal was to raise awareness of addiction and the opioid epidemic.
“Losing my brother, Tyler, to opioid addiction has made so many people, especially young people, feel less alone and it’s given them the courage to go on and become advocates themselves,” said Alysa Bainbridge, Miss Pennsylvania 2022 and the founder of nonprofit Tyler’s Triumph. “The more of us that are advocating and coming together, the more awareness we’re going to raise and the more impact we’re going to have.”
International Overdose Awareness Day comes just as the opioid overdose antidote Narcan is set to become available over-the-counter next week.
“I think it’s great that it’s going to be available without a prescription because it’s really needed and I think it’s going to save a lot of lives,” said Lynn Beck, an administrator with Pennsylvania Team Sharing.
Beck cautioned, though, that Narcan alone can’t solve the opioid epidemic—or save everyone.
“I had Narcan and I was too late with my daughter,” Beck said. “[First responders] tried to revive her, too, and we were too late.”