By Lorri Helfand, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, October 28, 2010
The Pinellas County chapter of NOPE (Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education) Task Force holds its second annual local candelight vigil to remember the victims of prescription drug overdose. Last year, 179 people died of prescription drug overdose in Pinellas County, more people than died in automobile accidents.
As afternoon stretched into evening, Tawny Anderson sat alone on a bench and remembered her son.
She was waiting at Largo Central Park for her ex-husband and hundreds of strangers to join her for a vigil to remember people who died of substance abuse. Her son Preston overdosed on methadone in May 2009. He was 22.
"Life goes on," said Anderson, 51, of Tarpon Springs. "I have to go to work. I have other kids. But it's such a lonely, lonely thing."
Over the next half-hour, 500 people poured into the park for the vigil organized by the Narcotic Overdose Prevention and Education Task Force. They taped pictures and notes on poster board in the middle of the park.
Love and miss you so much
My brother I love you forever
Mary Berlin came to remember her daughter Julie "Jewelz" Szalewicz, who battled heroin addiction for a decade. Szalewicz died in January 2006, days after serving a nine-month stint in jail, Berlin said. Berlin had just had her daughter over for a nice dinner. Then, two days later, she was found in a St. Petersburg alley. She was 28.
"I'm really grateful that there's others that know how I feel," said Berlin, 62.
Chrishelle Roque lost her cousin, Merv Stone, 28, to an overdose of methadone in December. She was joined by her parents and grandparents and cousins, who plan to start a NOPE chapter in Hillsborough County.
"He did a good job at hiding it from all of us," Roque said, "and by the time we realized how bad it was it was too late."
This was the second annual Pinellas vigil. Attendance was a little higher than last year. In the Tampa Bay area, 681 people died last year of a prescription drug overdose. NOPE chapters throughout the country held similar vigils to remember those who have died and those still struggling with addiction. More than two dozen vigils were scheduled in Florida.
Several of the speakers urged the crowd to speak out and to push lawmakers to support legislation to fight addiction.
"We can have an impact if we keep talking about it," said Largo Mayor Pat Gerard, who told the crowd that she lost several family members and friends to addiction.
Pinellas NOPE coordinator Laurie Serra, who lost her stepson, Matthew, to an unintentional overdose of several drugs, including OxyContin, told the crowd the pain doesn't go away but there are things they can do to cope and make a difference.
"We've got to get the word out. We've got to get together and we've got to be strong and speak out," she said.
The vigil came to a close as Safety Harbor Middle School's chorus serenaded the crowd. Families shielded flickering candles from the breeze.
The feelings are still so raw for Anderson. Her son had experimented with Xanax for a couple of years, but tried methadone only once.
"Nothing is ever the same," she said. "Everything is just a reminder of how much I miss him."
Lorri Helfand can be reached at lorri@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4155.