Helen Jennens keeps an old photo of her sons - both sporting huge grins, their arms around each others91裸聊视频� shoulders - on her dresser, near to a metal sculpture inscribed with their names: Tyler and Rian.

It91裸聊视频檚 a looping infinity symbol and represents the way the two are forever intertwined - in death, as they were in life. Jennens affectionally called the pair who were born just 18 months apart 91裸聊视频渟eek91裸聊视频� and 91裸聊视频渄estroy91裸聊视频� as children. Their closeness lasted as they grew up to be 91裸聊视频渁mazing guys91裸聊视频� and as they developed drug addictions that ultimately killed them both.

To the world, they are statistics of an overdose epidemic first declared a public health emergency in 2016.

To Jennens, they are so much more - her much loved children, whose absence she will never stop grieving. Children, who in death, threw her into a lifetime of advocacy.

91裸聊视频淲e say at Moms Stop the Harm, we don91裸聊视频檛 do this for our kids,91裸聊视频� she said, referring to the overdose awareness advocacy group that she91裸聊视频檚 a member of.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 too late for them. We91裸聊视频檙e doing it for yours.91裸聊视频�

Related: B.C. suing drug companies to recoup overdose crisis costs

There were 1,422 overdose deaths in 2017, a 43 per cent increase compared to 2016, which saw 914 deaths. Up until July of this year there have been 878 deaths, with 134 overdose being recorded in July.

Those deaths mark a 12 per cent increase over the same month last year, and a 25 per cent uptick from June. It equates to four deaths per day.

It91裸聊视频檚 a figure that should make jaws drop, but Jennens said she thinks the public is becoming desensitized to the death toll.

Instead of the shock she saw a year ago when discussing the crisis, people are almost indifferent. And the stigma that has sent so many people to misuse drugs in the dark corners of society remains intact.

It91裸聊视频檚 not surprising. Demonizing drug users, allows people to out the issue in the distance. They can say to themselves it91裸聊视频檚 not something they will face or that they need to understand.

It91裸聊视频檚 a dangerous misinterpretation of the reality.

91裸聊视频淒id I ever think, at this age, my sons would gone 91裸聊视频� no,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淒id I ever think they91裸聊视频檇 die of a drug overdose 91裸聊视频� no,91裸聊视频� she said.

Nor did she think that the places her children went to heal from injury would be what lead to their end.

91裸聊视频淲e had a lot of years of trauma and drama,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淩ian, my oldest son, had a drug problem, and then he got into a recovery program and had eight years of being sober before being struck by a truck on his motorcycle,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭he next few years he suffered through multiple surgeries, and the list of prescription drugs he was on wasterrible.91裸聊视频�

Related: Spike of potential drug ODs on Kelowna91裸聊视频檚 party weekends

He died in 2011 at age 37 from an overdose of prescription drugs. One day in 2011, Jennens went to his house with a pot of chilli and found him propped up on his bed with his computer on his lap.

91裸聊视频淗e was reading and he91裸聊视频檇 just stopped breathing,91裸聊视频� she said noting that he91裸聊视频檇 been prescribed benzodiazepines, various drugs for insomnia and depression, and opioids for chronic pain while he awaited a second hip replacement.

He was 37 years old. Five years later Tyler died, at age 40. He had ruptured his left Achilles tendon in 2008 while playing football. A lot of surgeries followed and for the pain he was prescribed OxyContin.

91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 when he acquired his opioid addiction,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淲hen his brother died in 2011, he turned to heroin.91裸聊视频�

The family then went through four to five years of 91裸聊视频渁wful stuff91裸聊视频� trying to help him. 91裸聊视频淲e thought he was doing really well and then he picked up on Jan. 14 2016 91裸聊视频� we have all the information in his phone91裸聊视频� he thought he bought heroin, but it was 100 per cent fentanyl. I don91裸聊视频檛 know if we had gotten to him sooner we could have saved him.91裸聊视频�

At that time, fentanyl was just coming on to the scene and Tyler was considered one of the first reported poisonings. There were no systems in place to catch him as he fell.

Today,there91裸聊视频檚 more hope in Kelowna for someone who finds themselves in his position. The city now has a mobile supervised injection site, there are public information campaigns aimed at reducing the stigma of drug misuse and the conversation about the risk of fentanyl have become louder, more pointed. Last year the Good Samaritan law was passed and it allows people who fear calling 911 while someone is overdosing a legal shield if they too are on drugs or in possession of them. 91裸聊视频淜ids were going to parties and they were afraid to call 911 when someone overdosed,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淣ow they can.91裸聊视频�

Related: B.C. overdose deaths drop in June, but 100+ still dying each month

For all those positive changes, however, there91裸聊视频檚 a lot more than can be done. Jennens has raised concerns about the legitimate practices that lead people into addiction and into acquiring an illegitimate stream of drugs. Jennens publicly decried common practices among doctors that she said led to the deaths of her sons.

Had doctors checked their drug histories in the real-time database PharmaNet, which links pharmacies and hospitals to a database that stores information on all dispensed prescriptions. The system is also available to physicians.

She also looks to legalization of possession illicit substances as the way forward.

91裸聊视频淟ook at what they91裸聊视频檙e doing in Portugal,91裸聊视频� she said. In the 91裸聊视频�80s, an estimated one in 100 Portuguese were battling a heroin addition. Overdose deaths were on the rise and the HIV invention was the highest of the European union.

In 2001, Portugal became the first country to decriminalise the possession and consumption of all illicit substances. Rather than being arrested, those caught with a personal supply might be given a warning, a small fine, or told to appear before a local commission 91裸聊视频� a doctor, a lawyer and a social worker 91裸聊视频� about treatment, harm reduction, and the support services that were available to them.

The opioid crisis soon stabilized, and the ensuing years saw dramatic drops in problematic drug use, HIV and hepatitis infection rates, overdose deaths, drug-related crime and incarceration rates. HIV infection plummeted from an all-time high in 2000 of 104.2 new cases per million to 4.2 cases per million in 2015.

Reports say the culture around drug users changed, too. Instead of using the parallel word for 91裸聊视频渏unkies91裸聊视频� people started referring to 91裸聊视频減eople who use drugs91裸聊视频� or other with 91裸聊视频渁ddiction disorders91裸聊视频�

This, said Jennens, is a key piece of the puzzle.

91裸聊视频�(Tyler and Rain) probably wouldn91裸聊视频檛 want me talking about it,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淭hey were ashamed of what they were doing.91裸聊视频�

If, however, they weren91裸聊视频檛 forced to hide in the shadows, in fear of labels there91裸聊视频檚 no telling where they91裸聊视频檇 be.

91裸聊视频淲e believe it91裸聊视频檚 a disorder, a medical illness, not a moral failing,91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淎nd we want people to treat it with dignity and respect, the same way as anyone with a medical issue would be treated. That is some of what we hope people will start to think about today.91裸聊视频�

A full roster of the events that start at 9 a.m. and go until 9 p.m. can be found at

Aug. 31 event schedule:

10 a.m. 91裸聊视频� 12 p.m. 91裸聊视频� Schedule of Speakers 91裸聊视频� Evangel Church

• Luke Stack 91裸聊视频� Deputy Mayor 91裸聊视频� Affirmation of Proclamation of August 31 as Overdose Awareness Day in Kelowna B.C.
• Dr. Jeff Eppler 91裸聊视频� Kelowna General Hospital Emergency Physician 91裸聊视频� Sharing his perspective on the overdose crisis
• Lawrence East 91裸聊视频� Pastor of Metro Community Church 91裸聊视频� Personal stories from our community
• Nadine Rigby 91裸聊视频� Interior Health Clinician, Substance Use Team Lead 91裸聊视频� Interior Health91裸聊视频檚 response to the overdose crisis
• Stephanie 91裸聊视频� Mom91裸聊视频檚 Stop the Harm 91裸聊视频� Combating stigma and dealing with grief after the loss of a loved one to overdose
• Pastor Nick 91裸聊视频� Evangel Church 91裸聊视频� His 35 years of experience with addiction
• Helen 91裸聊视频� Mom91裸聊视频檚 Stop the Harm 91裸聊视频� Sharing her story of the loss of her two sons to substance misuse
• Sheila Kerr 91裸聊视频� Living Positive Resource Center 91裸聊视频� Explanation of naloxone training process
• Nathanael Sherman 91裸聊视频� musician 91裸聊视频� closing song

12 p.m. - 1 p.m. - Training

• Free naloxone training provided by Sheila Kerr of Living Positive Resource Center

8 p.m. 91裸聊视频� 10 p.m. Candle Light Vigil - The Sails Downtown Kelowna

• Remembrance and Honoring 91裸聊视频� Music, Candlelight Vigil & Open Mic

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