Moms Stop the Harm gathers to remember loved ones lost

By GILLIAN SLADE on July 15, 2020.

gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade

A special event took place on Sunday to remember loved ones whose lives were cut short by an overdose death.

Moms Stop the Harm arranged for the physical distance gathering outside of Brocket on the Piikano Reserve, said Kym Porter of Medicine Hat, whose son Neil Balmer died from an overdose on July 1, 2016 at the age of 31.

Porter says a professional photographer was hired for Sunday’s gathering and about 50 people registered to participate. The purpose was to “help change the stigma toward people who use drugs.”

MSTH plans to continue to arrange opportunities for memorial photo shoots such as this.

“The photo opportunities are to honour the lives lost to the overdose crisis as well as to help eliminate stigma,” said Porter, noting there were several local families who attended.

Porter has previously talked about how Balmer had struggled for 10 or 12 years with addiction, anxiety and depression. She has always said that addiction is a health issue and not a moral issue.

Porter remembers her son as a “people person”, someone who was artistic, wanted to help others, and was compassionate. He worked to become an EMT, and had nearly reached the paramedic level when an accident in the ambulance caused him to lose his job.

Balmer had experienced some physical trauma during childhood, such as a broken neck from a trampoline accident. He was prescribed opioids for the pain. Eventually he turned to non-prescription drugs. He’d experienced anxiety and depression before the opioid addiction, but had masked it well with a sense of humour.

Balmer had at one time spent a week at a detox centre but had found the stigma associated with that very hard and it had left him feeling ashamed for years.

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