In the last week of January, on a Tuesday night, my cousin Ken's daughter Cailin, who had just turned 18 in September and started University Studies at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, contacted Ken in Paris by text, to ask a question about a Physics problem. She was taking a FULL load of Science and Physics and Math. By 10:00 pm that night, she was passed out in a fellow student's dorm room with an overdose of Fentanyl and at some point, that night or that week, she died.
I have received permission from Ken to tell anyone I know about this and provide links to the article, story and letters, written by Ken and his wife, Caroline. Ken is slowly coming to a point where he may be able to answer questions in small amounts. They still have one child, Oliver who was able to be with Cailin in Hospital before Ken could get back to Canada, and before their mother Caroline could attend to Cailin's bedside, as he was located on the same campus that night with his studies.
I share this because he and wife Caroline (an Emergency Room Physician) are calling for an official inquest to officials in BC and with the University Administration. In addition, they are meeting with officials and legislative bodies to initiate serious and lasting policy changes at high schools, Universities and Colleges across Canada, (and I hope the USA) at Universities and Colleges. (One article stated that this same thing has happened at Stanford University!)
This accidental death was completely preventable. It is not known how the fentanyl entered Cailin's system. Cailin was a brilliantly gifted girl who was deeply into creative jewelry making, Dance, Music, Art, as well as The Sciences and Math. It is incalculable what she might have offered to her community! THIS EVENT stabbed and broke my heart so badly when I heard this story that I was dumbfounded for many months.
I want to ask you to raise your voice against this travesty and help us fight this EVIL. Even if you share this with one person it could make a difference. I am committed to do whatever they ask of me and whatever I can to help. Terese's husband Howard has already been training Social Work departments to reform areas of policy failure, (and devastation to our country) in California.
WE CANT LET this happen to our children, our neighbors and our communities! We can't look the other way as people, BOTH adults and children die across our nations within which we live, work and play.
So please do what you can to raise your voice. I will follow with links that Ken has sent to me. For now, you can look up SidneyShouldBeHere,
to read more about this heartbreaking and unnecessary LOSS.
Please pray for Ken and family. THANK YOU.
IN CHRIST,
Marian