Christmas Comfort Service in Sudbury remembers victims of opioid crisis

Service remembers victims of opioid crisis The second Christmas Comfort Service will be held this week in Sudbury to remember those who've died from opioid overdoses.

The Holiday season is difficult for anyone mourning a loved one who was a victim of a drug overdose.

Again this year, the Elgin Street Mission in Sudbury and other partners are holding a Christmas Comfort service to remember those lost to the opioid crisis.

The service will be held Wednesday in the foyer at Tom Davies Square.

When Denise Sandul’s son, Myles Keaney, died four years ago, she said she didn’t know anyone who had lost someone to toxic drugs. She now uses her experience to help others walking a similar path.

"I will never say what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger because it doesn’t Sandul said.

"It just adds to our trauma with this kind of death."

Her advice to someone dealing with this type of loss is to "connect with people that truly understand because you really have to have been through it to totally understand it."

Sandul created and maintains the Crosses for Change memorial at the corner of Paris and Brady streets in downtown Sudbury.

It has 264 white crosses, each representing a victim of the opioid crisis. Sandul said it's "just the tip of the iceberg."

Statistics from Public Health Sudbury & Districts show 124 suspected drug toxicity deaths so far in 2024 in its coverage area. There were 135 in 2023.

Amanda Labreche, director and chaplain at the Elgin Street Mission, said there is a "collective grief" among clients, many of whom have lost friends and loved ones to overdoses.

"Sudbury goes between No. 1 and No. 1 spot of the most people who’ve died by opioid death -- that’s not something we’re proud of,” Labreche said.

"But it’s also something that we need to acknowledge. (We) need to come together at times like this and do what we can together … It’s important for people to know they are grieving … with others."

Service open to anyone

She said the service is open to anyone who has lost a loved one to a drug overdose.

Funeral director Gerry Lougheed Jr., who will speak at the service, said people often get hung up on the cause of death and forget the person behind the death.

"When you love somebody, does it really matter if it was an overdose, or a car accident or leukemia?" Lougheed said.

He advised not to avoid the sadness, but to embrace the pain by remembering the loved one and talking about them.

"We can’t say read this book, look at that video, go to that group and that's going to fix you," Lougheed said.

"That's not how it is. It's a personal journey. And some people journey faster or slower. Some people need a good hug. Some people just need their own space. Some people need to look at pictures and talk about the memories in the pictures. Other people need to go to a physical space."

The service begins Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Along with speeches and music, names of those who’ve passed away will be added to ornaments and hung on a Christmas tree.