Tales of hope, recovery shared

Attendees shed tears of joy and pain Monday, Aug. 31, during this year’s International Overdose Awareness Day event. For 25 years, the global observance has raised awareness about overdose prevention and recovery while supporting families directly impacted.

Held at First United Methodist Church, 318 W. National Road, Richmond, the ceremony was organized by Reid Health Community & Engagement, Drug-Free Wayne County, and other community partners. Since 2019, Wayne County has acknowledged IOAD by welcoming those affected by substance use disorder to share their stories, connect with local resources and honor loved ones lost to the disease.

“One of the biggest misconceptions is that addiction is a moral failure or lack of willpower,” Jess Przybysz, director of Reid Community Health & Engagement, told WWN. “This event helps dispel those myths by putting faces and stories to the issue.” Przybysz explained it creates a compassionate and supportive environment where judgment and stigma is replaced with understanding and hope.

After a short resource fair, hymns by Adam Buckland and Karen Bunch greeted attendees inside the sanctuary. The program opened with a message from Richmond Mayor Ron Oler, encouraging all residents to “use this day to learn, listen and support one another.” He was followed by facilitator and recovery program Bridges for Life’s Tim Pierson, who introduced the evening’s four featured speakers.

Richmond’s Margie Edwards honored her daughter, Jenna, who succumbed to overdose in 2017. Edwards saw firsthand how addiction changed her daughter and pulled Jenna away from family, including Jenna’s son. Despite Jenna’s physical and emotional changes, Edwards’ heart kept saying “not my child.” Until one day it was. The day before her grandson’s eighth birthday, Edwards received the call all parents feared.

“This life of addiction and death can happen to anyone. It doesn’t discriminate,” said Edwards, who remains grateful for Jenna’s 23 years of life. Today, she keeps Jenna’s memory alive by sharing her story, hoping it will help at least one person, if not more.

Matthew Eversole said it’s only by the grace of God that he’s still standing. First using drugs at eight years old, his life was plagued by gang activity and incarceration — 19 years in eight different prisons. During his last stint, Eversole said something in him snapped.

“I fell to my knees, begging, ‘Please help me, God,’” said Eversole. While it wasn’t overnight, his life changed. Three and a half years sober and happily engaged, he said that if Christ did it for him, there’s hope for others. 

Eversole’s fiancee, Richmond’s Rachel Hofer, said she simply “got caught up in the life” trying to be cool. The promising athlete saw school and sports traded for heroin, rehab and prison. At her lowest, she faced 27 years behind bars. Sentenced to nine, Hofer said it was enough time to get her away from substances. 

“I was finally able to say no,” said Hofer. Now five years clean, she wakes up not wanting or needing to use, and she said she thanks God she gets to do normal things like laundry, pay bills and work. 

Breckin Shelton shared how addiction controlled everything in her life, making her feel alone and beyond help. She was homeless with her life’s possessions in a shopping cart, living in abandoned homes.

“That wasn’t living. It was barely surviving,” said Shelton. Today, she is in long-term recovery and thankful to work, be a mom and have dreams again. 

“Recovery is possible. I’m standing here as proof,” said Shelton. She encouraged those struggling that they are not alone and aren’t beyond saving, and she reminded those mourning that their loved ones were never “just an addict.” That they mattered. 

The ceremony closed with a moment of silence, acknowledging 36 empty chairs, each representing a life lost to overdose in Wayne County last year. 

“This work is important because every individual deserves dignity, compassion and the opportunity to recover,” said Przybysz. “Recovery doesn’t belong to one organization, it takes an entire community choosing compassion and understanding.”

For more information about IOAD’s efforts, visit www.overdoseday.com/. Learn more about Reid Health’s community programs at reidcommunities.org and reidhealth.org.