The parents of a Vancouver teen who died of an overdose in November spent what would have been his 17th birthday at his high school to remember him and raise awareness about the toxic drug crisis.
Tyler Dunlap died in November after consuming drugs that contained fentanyl.
His mom and dad wanted to remember him on his birthday, so they spent the morning at Kitsilano Secondary handing out pamphlets and joining their son’s friends, classmates and teachers in a moment of silence.
Karen and Greg Dunlap said they hope that by sharing their son’s story, it will spark more discussion about addiction and mental health.
“Our son died from a fentanyl overdose, something he didn’t know what he was taking,” Greg said. “This happens to everybody, it can happen to anybody.”
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Karen said people need to be able to talk openly about the dangers of ingesting unknown substances.
“I don’t think that is a conversation that’s happening in schools, and kids think that they’re completely invincible, and they’re not,” she said.
Monday marked nine years since B.C. issued a public health emergency in response to the toxic drug crisis.
More than 16,000 lives have been lost due to unregulated toxic drugs since the emergency was declared in 2016.
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