Pubdate: Fri, 07 Oct 2016
Source: Maple Ridge News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2016 Maple Ridge News
Contact:  http://www.mapleridgenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1328
Author: Phil Melnychuk
Page: A1

'MY SON WAS DISPOSABLE'

The question Sherry Hebeler wanted answered Wednesday at the fentanyl
forum in Maple Ridge was where was the help for her son when he needed
it.

Her son Bradley Porter, 33, died in a hospital washroom in November
2015, after apparently taking crystal meth that had been laced with
fentanyl. He had been admitted to hospital and was addicted to
painkillers, but had gone missing.

"Nobody found him for two hours," Hebeler said, adding hospital
security later found him.

And three times previously when her son overdosed, when he was
released from hospital, she had called police and asked that he be
picked up on outstanding warrants.

She felt that being in jail might be the safest place for
him.

But he was not picked up.

"We really have to step it up," in how people are treated, she said.
"I feel that my son was just disposable ... "

Similar touching stories and tough questions were part of a two-hour
fentanyl forum Wednesday in Westview secondary as people jammed the
gymnasium to learn about the drug that is killing thousands.

One resident from Victoria, currently in the Maple Ridge Treatment
Centre, had a friend whose daughter died on Boxing Day from an
overdose and urged those taking drugs to think twice.

"Just think about the potential impact you have on friends and family,
because it can be life-changing."

Christmas never will be the same for that family, he
added.

Dr. Ingrid Tyler, with the Fraser Health, repeated her message that
Narcan, or naloxone - the terms are interchangeable - saves lives,
reversing the effects of an opioid overdose from fentanyl, which can
stop a person's breathing.

Naloxone is an entirely safe product, Tyler said.

And even if it's not certain if a person is suffering an overdose, it
can still be administered.

"It has no other effects on the body, so it's very
safe."

However, people should always call 911 is they suspect and overdose,
and that person should be taken to emergency, she added.

Ridge Meadows RCMP Supt. Dave Fleugel said dealers are selling
fentanyl and lacing other drugs with it because it's cheap and
profitable. It's also powerful and easily obtainable.

"It's very difficult for our border services and our postal services
to detect."

Fentanyl has killed 20 people in Maple Ridge this year, so far. That
number could hit 30 by the end of the year.

Provincewide, it's killed 488 people since the start of the
year.

Fleugel said it's hard to prove a manslaughter charge against a dealer
for selling fentanyl that leads to an overdose. However, the local
detachment is working on such a case, he added.
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MAP posted-by: Matt