For all the years I lived in Gloucester, MA, I attended the Gloucester Annual Overdose Vigil, in support of my dear friends (too many) who lost members of their family and circle of friends to overdose. May their memory be for blessing.
I was also there to honor my beloved son Cameron of blessed memory, to raise awareness about his overdose story.
The second luminaria from the right is in honor of my Cameron.
Cameron was overdosed for months on 8 potent medications he did not have to be on after his 2nd brain surgery in 2006. Living 24/7 with him in the hospital, I studied his kind of tumor (Anaplastic Astrocytoma III), and its treatment, and studied all the journals of medicine updates, as well as watched, learned, and documented every move of the medical staff.
I called an emergency meeting with the oncology team and nurse management to share what I had discovered. They agreed that he was not only on these meds unnecessarily, but the doses were way too high. They took him off all 8 drugs immediately. Within days he was more animated, started communicating, and even began eating solid food again. I was feeding him over 30 pills a day at one point. I can not take pills today because of this, as it is a major PTSD trigger for me.
I feel it is important for me to represent Cameron's story in this context, and bring the message that overdose has many faces... including critically ill children, who through no action of their own, are put at higher risk through the negligence, ignorance, and/or greed of the American medical industrial complex. It is not an easy thing to talk about, nor is it an easy thing to hear. Perhaps together we can make the journey a little more kind, graceful, and understanding. Parents are often our children's most effective advocates in these situations.
September is #childhoodcancerawareness month. My mission through The Lost Travelers Club is to support the journey of parents beyond child loss, making it possible to break through isolation and cope with grief in the company of people who “get it.” Raising awareness is part of this mission.
Thanks for listening, and for your generous support over the years. It matters.
In Service, Henry-Cameron Allen Founder
www.TheLostTravelers.Club Getting there to together...