Overdose Awareness Day mixes tragedy with hope

An observance was held in Monessen to mark the international event.

The Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission hosted an International Overdose Awareness Day event Friday afternoon at the Monessen Boat Launch Pavilion, offering speakers, information about resources and free food for the community.

International Overdose Awareness Day, officially recognized Aug. 31 every year, highlights the epidemic of drug overdose deaths around the world. The Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission, a nonprofit based in Monessen, assists those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. The commission started doing an annual event in Monessen last year.

This year, dozens of residents gathered on a sunny, warm afternoon for pulled pork and chicken sandwiches and free treats from an ice cream truck. A truck distributed free Narcan, a medication used to prevent an overdose, and pictures of 51 Mon Valley residents who passed away from overdoses lined the inside of the pavilion.

The event’s keynote speaker, Debbie Mascara, talked about her daughter, Megan Mascara, who passed away from an overdose about three years ago at age 34. A photograph of Megan could be seen close by when she spoke.

“It is so heartbreaking that I don’t have my daughter anymore to hug, to kiss, to love,” Debbie said. “I tell her I love her every day. Every day of my life, I tell her how much I love her and how much I miss her.”

Megan spent time in rehabilitation centers before her death and once became a sponsor at a location in Florida.

“My husband and I took a trip down there,” Debbie said. “And we met some of her doctors and psychologists and people, and one lady had come up to me and said, ‘You don’t know what an impact your daughter has on people down here. She comes and she talks in these recovery places and she tells her story, and we’re all crying by the time she finishes.’” Representatives from Penn Highlands Mon Valley Hospital spoke about its recently expanded recovery services. Adam Gillingham of the hospital’s Substance Recovery Unit said the hospital can now do much more than in the past for Mon Valley residents struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. Before, many would have to travel to Pittsburgh or Butler for certain kinds of care.

Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew talked about the efforts being made to battle addiction.

“We want to work hard to improve the services that we provide instead of jail so that people can have an opportunity to be cured of a disease instead of sitting in prison, behind bars,” Chew said. “To bring those people back to productive lives, because we need those people in Westmoreland, we need them in Monessen, we need them over this entire county.”

Becky Pupik, a nurse who’s in recovery from addiction, received an “extra effort” award, which left her in tears. She referenced Debbie’s speech about her daughter and said it made her emotional.

“While you spoke about your daughter, it very well could have been my mom,” Pupik said. “And so I just wanted to thank you for sharing, because we are just people that suffer from a disease of addiction. I am still very much an addict today, and I just happen to have a program in place that I don’t put some substance in me to escape.”

Drug and alcohol addiction has been a prominent issue in the Mon Valley area for years. Colleen Hughes, the commission’s executive director, acknowledged that overdoses have decreased since the peak of the opioid epidemic, but stressed continued vigilance.

“We are making progress, but there is still work to be done,” Hughes said.