“We want to remember them” Candlelight vigil honors lives lost to substance use disorder

My House, True North Recovery, and the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force hosted a candlelight vigil on Tuesday evening, honoring lives lost to the scourge of addiction.

“Even though they’re gone, we want to remember them,” said Michael Carson, Chairman of the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force. “We especially want to remember their families, and let their families know that they are not alone.”

The solemn event marked the 6th year the vigil has been held.

The Mat-Su Borough has been hit hard with the opioid crisis and substance use disorder, but thanks to the efforts of My House, TNR, and the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force, efforts are being made to change the tide, especially with the recent opening of Day One and Dylan’s Place in Wasilla, which now offers withdrawal management services, the first of its kind in the Wasilla area.

Community members, friends, and loved ones were invited to the vigil as prayers and stories were shared, along with the reading of more than 400 names of those lost to substance use disorder were remembered and honored.

“We are here to speak names of those people who we have lost,” Carson said.

The vigil began 6 years ago, started by John Green as a way to honor his daughter, Kellsie, who died while suffering heroin withdrawal in an Anchorage jail in 2016, and the hundreds of others throughout Alaska who have lost someone.

And as many struggled through reading the names, the meaning was not lost on anyone in the room.

“Each name is someone’s someone and many of the readers knew several people on the lists. It is very emotional.”