Unsilencing Stories

Episode 14: Monique Gognou Remembers Her Brother

March 18, 2023 Unsilencing Stories Episode 14
Unsilencing Stories
Episode 14: Monique Gognou Remembers Her Brother
Show Notes Transcript

In this episode, you’’ll hear Terrance West speaking with Monique Gognou in Prince George, B.C. about her brother who died from an opioid overdose at age 42. 

Jenna Keeble 00:00

Unsilencing Stories is a podcast that reflects the voices of people in small towns and communities in Canada, who have lost loved ones to the toxic drug supply crisis. Since 2016. More than 30,000 people have died from fatal overdoses in Canada and that number continues to climb. The risk in smaller towns and communities is much higher than urban areas because of a lack of harm reduction services, and stigma against substance use and people who use drugs. This podcast is part of a community based participatory research project facilitated by Aaron Goodman, Ph.D., a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, B.C., along with students Jenna Keeble and Ashley Pocrnich. 

The aim was to assist collaborators in publicly memorializing their loved ones and expressing grief as well as challenging silences imposed by dominant media organizations and stigma from society against substance use and people who use drugs. We hope these nuanced stories make it clear why the government needs to be doing more to prevent further deaths. Please note this podcast contains information about overdose death, grief and trauma that may be distressing to listen to. In this episode, you'll hear Terrance West speaking with Monique Gognou about her brother Clint, who died from an opioid overdose at age 42.

 

Monique 01:13

I live in Prince George, British Columbia. 

 

Monique 01:16

My brother Clinton Meek. Clint died just before his 40th birthday and he would be turning 43 in October. Clint lived and grew up in Valemount, B.C., but he died in Kamloops, B.C. 

 

Monique 01:29

We shared lots of memories because we were brother and sister, but one moment that we shared was just after his son Dominic died. Just a closeness that we never, I don't because he was my half-brother, stepbrother, I guess, but we didn't consider ourselves steps. So, just a moment that him and I shared after Sunday kind of brought us closer together, as family. 

 

Monique 01:49

I would tell him that I loved him. I don't think I told him that enough. And I would tell him that no matter what happens, life is a lot better than where he is now. My brother was a good guy. He did nothing but go to work every day and raise his kids. It was when his 18-month-old son died in a house fire that things went bad for him. 

 

Monique 02:09

Just having a brother, being able to talk to him. He's the one guy that I could talk to you about guy problems. Mostly it was, do you want me to kick his ass? But that's beside the point, he was always was there to answer whatever I had to ask him about guys.

 

Monique 02:20

It's not really like a traditional tradition, but every Christmas when we were kids, we used to listen to Jim Henson's, the 12 days of Christmas, and my brother always sung the Beaker part. So, every year at Christmas, we listen to that song, before we open our gifts. 

 

Monique 02:35

Every brother and sister are close, but he and I kind of lost that closeness when I chose to go back to the lifestyle that I quit at one point in life. When I started using drugs again, my brother and I kind of distanced each other until he started using and then it seemed like that was the only thing we had in common. 

 

Monique 02:52

My brother was a jokester. He liked to laugh and joke and tell funny stories. Pretty much if it had to do with Budweiser and beer, that was a joke. My brother's death made me speak more openly about my addictions. I used to try to hide it from my family and make it like I was, I mean, not necessarily an angel, because my halo has its own set of wings, horns I mean, sorry. But just it made me realize that, you know, there's the way my brother died was senseless, and that there needs to be a voice for people with addictions, which is why I'm so open about my now.

 

Monique 03:29

I love him and things could have gotten better if he were to just stuck around and I miss him. Well, like I said, my brother's death was senseless. He's never done heroin or fentanyl a day in his life. He smoked crack. And that's why I chose to speak about him today because he should never have died. 

 

Jenna Keeble 03:45

That brings us to the end of this episode of the Unsilencing Stories podcast. To listen to more interviews in the series, please go to www.unsilencingstories.com, and if you'd like to share your thoughts on the episode, message us at unsilencingstories@gmail.com. Thank you so much for listening and please share the project with other people you know.