Candlelight ceremony remembers those lost to drug addiction

WASILLA — With a desire to lessen the stigma associated with drug addiction, about 100 people gathered at Nunley Park, across from Wasilla City Hall, to support one another and share memories of those loved ones lost to drug addiction and its associated issues. That gathering was one of at least three in South-central Alaska that were held Tuesday evening.

The Remembering Those Lost to Addiction ceremony was held Jan. 10 for a reason. It marked the one-year anniversary of the death of Kellsie Green, a 24-year old Mat-Su woman who died in an Anchorage jail while detoxing from heroin use. Her parents, John Green and Kathi Green, wanted to gather people across the state affected by the topic together and, as John Green put it, bring them out of the shadows.

"It's the message," John Green said. He said families not only have to deal with the loss of a loved one, but also public perceptions. "There is a stigma of having to stay in the shadows because so many people are worried about the judgment."

There was more than just gathering to share stories, light candles and Chinese lanterns, Green said he read approximately 100 names of users lost to their addition. He said the gathering was a place where people could honor their lost loved ones and be among those who have gone or continue to go through process. Green said some loved ones wouldn't give a last name of those they lost.

"Some just listed an initial or didn't even give a last name," Green said.

While people gathered in Wasilla, Green said similar events were going on in Anchorage and Soldotna. He heard approximately 50 gathered at Anchor Park Methodist Church in Anchorage and a larger group got together at Soldotna Church of God. Kathi Green attended the Anchorage gathering. John Green said the idea was shared with cities and villages across Alaska and that although they weren't held Tuesday, other similar events are on the calendar.

Green said Fairbanks will hold a ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 5. That date was chosen by a local resident who lost her son to addiction. He said another event will take place soon in Juneau. Green said there may have been similar gatherings in the rural reaches of the state.

"I had people write me letters and they would talk about their kids from the time they were born until the time they died," Green said. "A lot of people in the villages had family that wouldn't even talk to them because of the stigma. It was heartbreaking going back and replying to some of the letters, thanking them and letting them know there was no shame because they lost someone."

Green said as he read the names Tuesday night, he was touched by action of one person in particular as he finished.

"A man came up and told me that I needed to add one more name," Green said. "His child died (of the same affliction) the same day Kellsie did."

Green said he and Kathi didn't want to make the event a vigil. Rather, he said, they decided to take it to the next level.

"We wanted to make something so others could remember their (loved ones) as well," he said.

Green said he and Kathi began trying to find answers about the loss of their daughter right after she died.

"We didn't know where to look. There was no network," Green said. "We tried methadone clinics but they wanted to you to detox first. We tried out of state and sent Kellsie to Arizona."

Both John and Kathi are active in the Mat-Su Opioid Taskforce, a group that meets once a month in the borough to provide networking, share information and help provide treatment options to those seeking it. Green said he is impressed with how far and the difference the group has made since it began about a year ago.

Green said prescription drug use to help control pain exploded in the late 1980's and early 1990's. That, he said, coincides with the startup of pain management clinics across the country. Many feel prescription drug abuse is the lead-in to harder drugs, like the one that led to Kelsie Green’s four-gram-a-day heroin addiction.

According to Alaska's Division of Public Health, more than 100 drug overdose deaths annually were tallied in the six years leading up to 2015. Of those, more than four out of 10 were attributed to heroin use. Green said heroin is much more potent and cheaper than prescription drugs, which he feels are a stepping stone for many users.

Green said he received positive feedback on the event.

"We would like (and plan) to make it an annual event," Green said. "But we need to start it in October rather than two weeks before. Hopefully it created awareness... (and) was comforting to families and to people who lost loved ones."