Pubdate: Mon, 26 Dec 2011 Source: Province, The (CN BC) Copyright: 2011 Postmedia Network Inc. Contact: http://www2.canada.com/theprovince/letters.html Website: http://www.theprovince.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476 Author: Vivian Luk, The Province VICTIM'S KIN WARN ABOUT ECSTASY PILL Lost Their Teen Daughter to Drug on Dec. 22 An Abbotsford family struggling to cope with the tragic loss of their teenage daughter at Christmas is warning other parents and teens of the dangers of ecstasy. Seventeen-year-old Cheryl McCormack died on Dec. 22 after taking ecstasy. She and three other teenage girls were at a sleepover a few nights earlier, where all four friends took an ecstasy pill to lose or man-age their weight, said Abbots-ford police. At around 3 a.m., however, McCormack became unresponsive and was taken to hospital, where she remained in critical condition. She died just three days before Christmas. "How can anybody be pre-pared to deal with this when you've got Christmas decorations up and lights through-out the city?" said Abbots-ford police spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald. "This young girl thought [ecstasy] was the gateway to weight management, and unfortunately sacrificed her life." MacDonald said the other three girls were fine, even though they all took the same pill. Investigators are still waiting for toxicology tests to determine the exact cause of McCormack's death. "I think what's important to remember is ecstasy or any illicit drug is not manufactured in a pharmaceutical plant," MacDonald said. "There is no quality control, there is no guarantee that what you think you're ingesting is in fact what you're ingesting. It's quite possible the drug could have been in varying amounts." MacDonald also said this is not the first time the four girls took ecstasy in order to lose weight, though police are still trying to find out where they got the drug. He believes there may be more teens out there doing the same thing. The family have requested privacy, but have indicated that they want the story of Cheryl's tragic death to be told accurately. They have also established a bursary in memory of Cheryl. The bursary will be for Abbotsford high-school students who are planning on attending post-secondary school and are in financial need. "The family, despite obviously struggling and still coming to terms with this, has been extremely courageous," said MacDonald. "They want to warn parents like them-selves and teens like their daughter from having the same fate befall them." Anyone wishing to express their condolences to the family, in lieu of flowers, can make a donation to the Cheryl McCormack Memorial Award. They can donate by calling 604-850-3755 or by mailing a cheque to the Abbotsford Community Foundation at 204-2890 Garden St., Abbots-ford, B.C., V2T 4W7. The Abbotsford Police Department is seeking to identify the supplier and source of the ecstasy. Any-one with information should call the APD at 604-859-5225 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.