Pubdate: Thu, 15 Mar 2007
Source: News Review, The  (CN SN)
Copyright: 2007 Yorkton News Review
Contact:  http://www.yorktonnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4047
Author: Shannon Lizon
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/heroin.htm (Heroin)

DRUG OVERDOSE SPURS MISSION TO CHANGE LIVES

He may not have it easy, but he believes that everything happens for 
a reason and it's this belief that provides him with the motivation 
to awake with a positive outlook each day and to do what he does.

Jade Bell -- blind, paralyzed, wheel chair bound and unable to speak 
as a result of a drug overdose -- now spends the majority of his time 
travelling from school to school to share a message he hopes will 
deter children from following the same path he took in life.

Bell was in Yorkton last week to share his story with students at Dr. 
Brass School.

While he cannot speak per se, Bell relays his words through the use 
of morse code and a special computer which translates head tapping 
motions into words as well as a synthesized voice.

It took him 10 painstaking weeks to put together his presentation and 
once on stage most children appear apprehensive about what they are 
about to experience. However -- witty, with all cognitive skills 
intact -- it doesn't take Bell long to reach students and by the end 
of his unique presentation, most can't wait to approach him to shake 
his hand or to ask questions.

Now 32, it was in August of 1997, at the age of 22 when Bell's life 
would forever be altered.

He was bright, handsome, popular and athletic and about to embark on 
a career in the film industry -- he had everything going for him -- 
yet instead of seeking out help, or finding alternative ways to cope 
when things didn't go his way, Bell turned to alcohol and drugs.

When he was high, he says, he felt like he was on top of the world -- 
fearless, invincible -- but today he knows he could never have been more wrong.

Yet it was those feelings that kept him not only using, but wanting 
more, needing more. Bell became addicted to cocaine and heroine and 
would even steal to feed his habit -- all the while trying his best 
to hide what he was doing to the outside world. But one can only do 
that for so long.

In August of 1997, Bell took his bad habit to the limit. After 
consuming copious amounts of alcohol with friends he then proceeded 
to "shoot up" with a deadly mix of heroin and cocaine, causing him to 
collapse to the floor.

Fifteen full minutes of oxygen deprivation to his brain later, and 
Bell was in a coma for one month. When he awoke, his world was changed forever.

The young man who had a promising, bright future ahead of him, could 
no longer speak, walk, or see and was left totally dependent on 24 
hour a day, seven day a week care.

"I felt in a way that I can't expect anybody to understand or grasp," he says.

A full year of rehabilitation ensued and Bell was told he would have 
to live in an institution for life. His pain was almost unbearable 
and at times he found himself wishing he hadn't pulled through his misfortune.

Yet day by day, week by week, Bell became stronger, more capable and 
determined that what happened to him was not going to be in vain.

He is still dependent on care, but today, he lives on his own, with 
the help of three constant care givers and travels the country taking 
his message to others. "It's not an effort to put a scratch," he 
says, "but a huge dent in an only growing epidemic that is plaguing 
communities today."

It's a sad fact, but true.

When Bell spoke to students at Dr. Brass Elementary School in 
Yorkton, he asked them -- some as young as 10 years old -- how many 
knew of a person using heavy drugs. About three quarters, if not 
more, of his audience rose their hands.

With that in mind, while some of what Bell has to say may come across 
as harsh and to the point, his words speak of the reality of drugs 
and what can happen if one chooses that path.

To anyone using, he doesn't hesitate to say, "Quit now before it's 
too late because sooner than later you'll be lying in a box dead."

Offering no excuses, and accepting full responsibility for his own 
choices, Bell says he is now on a life mission -- and it's one that 
won't end "until all kids witness the horrors of heroine."

Since 1999, Bell has taken his presentation to more than 60,000 
Canadian students. He feels if he can deter even just one individual 
from a path of self destruction, his journey is worthwhile.

In addition to speaking with students, Bell also creates CD 
compilations and writes poetry. He recently had a book published 
called "Strength of Human Spirit."

To learn more about the newly published book or Bell and what he is 
up to, visit his website: www.jadebell.ca.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman