Forum at Bridgewater State draws more than 250 people

Linda Cunningham of East Bridgewater, whose 18-year-old daughter died of a drug overdose, weeps as she listens to speaker Carol DiGiantommaso of North Reading share the story of the loss of a son. The "What All Parents Need To Know" community forum about drugs drew more than 250 people to Bridgewater State College on April 5.
(Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise)

BRIDGEWATER - It was a night when tears of despair became a warm embrace of hope.
  More than 250 people Thursday night packed Bridgewater State College's Moakley Center in support of a special forum that tackled the deadly toll drugs have taken on the region's youth.
  The "What All Parents Need To Know" forum came in the wake of The Enterprise's Wasted Youth series, which lifted the lid on how opiate abuse is ravaging young people.
 "This is an important night. Our voices need to be heard. We are going to fight for treatment and fight for funding," declared event host and joint organizer Joanne Peterson, founder of parent support group Learn To Cope.
  She was addressing an audience who spanned almost all age groups and walks of life.
  They heard from parents who relived the pain of losing their children to drugs and, vitally, how to spot the warning signs of addiction.
  Heartbroken mother Carol, who lost her son Mikey, a high school football captain, to heroin, fought back tears as she described the moment she found her son's body in an apartment. He had died from an overdose.
  "When I went in the room, he was lying on floor in his shorts. His body was cold and had turned purple. I held his lifeless body in my arms for the last time. My life was shattered, his was lost," she said.
  But despite the pain and suffering, the vocal support from the audience and inspiring stories of survival showed there was hope.

A collage of young victims who died from drug abuse is shown at the entrance to the forum.
(Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise)

  "The fact is that recovery is possible. There is a reason for hope. I'm living, breathing proof that you can rise up from the wreckage of addiction," said Jen, a recovering addict who addressed the audience.
  Health professionals from treatment programs also told the crowd how demand for long-term treatment was now outpacing supply in the state.
  Peter Collins, director of New Hope in South Weymouth, told the audience how the number of people under the age of 25 seeking drug treatment skyrocketed in just seven years.
  "I have 40 people in need of treatment for every one of the 60 beds in my facility. We are in a crisis. This is a deadly disease," he said.
  And state Rep. Allen McCarthy, D-East Bridgewater, vowed to do all he could on Beacon Hill to ensure the funding is there for treatment. "I will be fighting on Beacon Hill for the funding we need."
  Enterprise Managing Editor Steve Damish told the audience the newspaper's recent series was only the start of the effort to highlight the problem.
  "Rest assured, we know our role and will tell these stories. We are on this for as long as it takes," he said.
  About 100 people have died locally from overdoses in the last three years, and more than 4,400 have been treated for overdoses in hospital emergency rooms.
  The forum was sponsored by Learn to Cope, founded by Peterson the Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, East Bridgewater and Bridgewater State College police departments.
 Joanne Peterson's son, Scott, spoke at the event and shared his experience.
  "This is not something that can be hidden any longer," he said.
  For more information, visit www.learn2cope.org or email learntocope2001@yahoo.com.
 The Enterprise has received more than 200 responses to the Wasted Youth series, an Enterprise record, Damish said.
 
  Mike Underwood can be reached at munderwood@enterprisenews.com.