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“From Heroin to Hope: Making Sense of the Loss of a Child”
Wednesday, August 7, 2019 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm MDT
Author discusses and shares resource for loss due to opioid addiction
Wednesday, August 7, 6:30–8 p.m., Fellowship Hall
Last year, over 70,000 parents across America lost a child to an opioid drug overdose. The grief experienced by any parent who loses a son or daughter is excruciating. But grief for those whose child has died due to drug abuse is compounded by the stigma and shame our culture places on drug abuse.
Marsha Wiggins lost her only child, Cameron, at age 26 to a heroin overdose in 2013. As a professional counselor, author, educator and former associate pastor, she was as well prepared as anyone could be to deal with such a devastating blow. And yet, she found herself on a journey through unchartered waters, struggling to find her way through the grief process.
As part of her grieving process, she has written a book to help other parents, mental health professionals, clergy, and those affected by the death of a child from drugs. In From Heroin to Hope: Making Sense of the Loss of a Child, Wiggins provides research-based information about the grief journey and illustrates these concepts by sharing her experience of grieving the loss of her son.
Augustana’s Youth and Health Ministries cosponsor this time of sharing and book signing for those affected by the opioid crisis, for those who have lost loved ones due to opioid overdose, for those who know someone who has lost a friend, coworker, or family member to the opioid epidemic, or for those—professional or not—who offer care and encouragement to families of opioid overdose victims.
Come to listen, learn, and share, Wednesday, August 7, 6:30 p.m., Fellowship Hall.