Jake Langille died on an air mattress at the age of 27 in his mothersa国际传媒檚 Kelowna apartment on Jan. 22, 2017.
Groggy and lethargic from a nightsa国际传媒檚 rest of sleeping pills, Jakesa国际传媒檚 mother ambled to her computer chairsa国际传媒攁s she always doessa国际传媒攏ot wanting to wake her son. After a few years of precarious living, the mother wanted Jake to feel rested and at home in her apartment.
It took much longer than anybody would want to willingly sit in a room, scanning Facebook, waiting for their dead son to awaken.
sa国际传媒淚 couldnsa国际传媒檛 hear breathing, no snoring; he couldnsa国际传媒檛 move,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淭hen I looked and he was blue. And that was that. That was the last time I ever saw him.sa国际传媒�
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Jake moved to Kelowna after struggling to find his way in northern Ontario, where the mother and son are native to. His mother moved to Kelowna in 2014 and he visited for four months in 2015 to see if the area could help him move past his struggles.
His mom sent him back to Ontario for rehab and counselling. He wanted to get his life back on track. When he was ready, he came back to Kelowna to get a job, find stable housing and move forward. His mother even made him turn himself into police for a prior drug offence.
sa国际传媒淗e was doing all the right things,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淗e was really a nice kid, he just had his struggles.sa国际传媒�
She doesnsa国际传媒檛 know how he got the money to buy drugs nor does she know where he consumed them and she doesnsa国际传媒檛 know where he got them from, but Jakesa国际传媒檚 blood stream was ridden with various types of drugs that caused an overdose, according to what officials told her.
Jake, according to his mother, was an amazing kid. He was a musician, smart, funny, caring and gentle. She emphasized that the only downfall was that he had his struggles, as many do.
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Gretchen Delguidice was a supporter in Wawa, Ont., and helped guide Jake in the months before he moved to Kelowna to rejoin his mother. She was so inspired by his commitment to healing and helping his friends, that when he passed, she wanted to honour him.
sa国际传媒淛ake was just the most lovable person,sa国际传媒� said Delguidice. sa国际传媒淚 lost that kid and it was a tough one for me.sa国际传媒�
In 2019, presented by Jacquie Langille (Jakesa国际传媒檚 grandmother) and Delguidice, the Make a Difference Award was priviledged to two Grade 8 studentssa国际传媒攐ne boy and one girlsa国际传媒攚ho exemplify kindness and empathy to their peers and their community.
sa国际传媒淭hey make a difference by being just a little different (in a good way),sa国际传媒� the document reads.
sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 pretty cool, Isa国际传媒檓 honoured and he wouldsa国际传媒檝e loved it, too,sa国际传媒� the mother said. sa国际传媒淓specially because itsa国际传媒檚 for the underdogs.sa国际传媒�
The award will be made annual and Delguidice is attempting to create two more awards for Grade 12 graduating students.
The Facebook post by Jakesa国际传媒檚 mother garnered replies that read, sa国际传媒淲owsa国际传媒� I love this award!sa国际传媒�, sa国际传媒淏eautifulsa国际传媒攂rings tears to my eyessa国际传媒�, sa国际传媒淚 so love thissa国际传媒� what an amazing legacysa国际传媒� and so needed. Beautifulsa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 at a loss for words, but this truly touched my spirit.sa国际传媒�
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Through Jakesa国际传媒檚 story, his mother wishes for people to understand the opioid crisis, drug addiction and homelessness, although they often correlate, they donsa国际传媒檛 always bind a person to one stereotype. Jake did not die on the streets. He died on his mothersa国际传媒檚 air mattress one dreary, often re-lived morning.
sa国际传媒淭hey are trying to do the best they can,sa国际传媒� his mother empathized with others who struggle in secret.
sa国际传媒淭hey are empaths, the free spirits, the grey in a world of black and white,sa国际传媒� the document concluded. sa国际传媒淭hese students challenge us to look at life and people differently.sa国际传媒�
David.venn@kelownacapnews.com
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