Paramedic shares personal story about losing his niece to opioid poisoning

Seamus Murphy, the Deputy Chief of Cochrane District Paramedic Services says the death of his 26- year-old niece in April last year changed his life – she passed away due to opioid poisoning.

Murphy spoke during the International Opioid Overdose Awareness Day event in Timmins that took place at Gillies Lake Conservation Area.

"She was my goddaughter, she took care of my kids… we miss her," he said.

Murphy went on to explain how her death changed what he thought about people struggling with an opiate use disorder.

“It’s not something that people choose," he said.

"It’s a change in the chemistry in the body and that’s what people have to understand."

Authorities and health officials at the event said many end up with opioid addictions after an opiate is used to treat a temporary chronic condition.

"You know a lot of times, 70 per cent of people that are hooked on opiates were prescribed it first,” said Murphy.

“I’m not in any way trying to blame anyone here. It’s the not the physician’s fault. These are people who have addictive tendencies."

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He told CTV News that his niece's death motivated him to do more to help people and now, the Cochrane District Paramedic Service is the first in the country to offer Suboxone – an opioid withdrawal treatment. He started the program in May and said people are receptive.

“We’ve got 16 per cent of people that have accepted treatment of Suboxone and out of that we have 16 per cent of people that have gone into long term treatment from our call volume," said Murphy.

"We were expecting 10 per cent.”

Murphy said he encounters many people who are afraid to go to Safe Health Site Timmins – the area’s supervised safe consumption site – because they are ashamed.

But he added the local drug supply is tainted and it's poisoning people.

Murphy said he cannot stress enough that people should not ‘use’ alone – adding his niece did and she also died alone.

He said that 12 per cent of the current opiate related call volume his department attends, end up in deaths due to opioid poisoning.