Jac’s problems with substance abuse started with a back injury and a prescription for OxyContin. She had anxiety and the opiate made her feel like she could deal with it. When she told the doctor that, he cut her off cold.

Without a steady prescription, the mother of three resorted first to family members, then to the streets of British Columbia to get her fix.

Eventually, she contracted a flesh-eating disease while injecting fentanyl and heroin. She died three years ago.

Her mother, Donna May, tells that story about Jac every chance she gets now. She’s part of mumsDU, a group of mothers who travel across Canada raising awareness of substance abuse issues, especially fentanyl, a powerful opiate that gained prominence as OxyContin fell out of favor.

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