In this episode, you will hear Roland Soobotin speaking with Santana Jones in Cranbrook B.C. about her ex-partner, Craig, who died of an opioid overdose at age 28.
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 Roland Soobotin speaking with Santana Jones in Cranbrook, B.C. Santana remembers her ex-partner Craig who died from an opioid overdose at age 28.
Roland 01:16
Tell me your first and last name.
Santana 01:18
Santana Jones.
Roland 01:20
Where do you live? l
Santana 01:21
Cranbrook, B.C.
Roland 01:23
Is there one person who you would like to speak about who died from an overdose?
Santana 01:29
Yes, there's one person.
Roland 01:31
Can you tell me their first and last name?
Santana 01:34
Craig.
Roland 01:36
Their age?
Santana 01:37
23.
Roland 01:40
Where did they live?
Santana 01:41
Kelowna.
Roland 01:43
Can you describe a moment or time you shared together?
Santana 01:47
We just went hung out.
Roland 01:48
What do you remember most about it?
Santana 01:51
Just having a good time.
Roland 01:53
What was your relationship to this person?
Santana 01:56
Ex.
Roland 01:57
Tell me about it.
Santana 01:59
Didn't mean a lot. It was a lot of bullshit because all he focused on was drugs.
Roland 02:05
What is your first memory of this person?
Santana 02:09
Smoking weed with him.
Roland 02:11
What is your best memory?
Santana 02:13
Breaking up with him.
Roland 02:16
What is your most vivid memory?
Santana 02:19
Breaking up with him.
Roland 02:21
What did this person mean to you?
Santana 02:23
Nothing.
Roland 02:25
Are you comfortable? Can you and can you talk about the death of this person? And how did they die?
Santana 02:33
He overdosed and then he died. They had to use Naloxone to bring him back alive like three times. You know, like you can die, but I mean, if they use Naloxone on you, they had to do it like three times on him. And then they like brought back alive. Yeah, it was from an overdose.
Roland 02:57
What has been the hardest thing about losing this individual?
Santana 03:03
Well, at the time, I still cared but I mean, like right now it's like nothing. Because you know what? It's like it was his, it was his fault.
Roland 03:12
What would you ask said individual if they were here today?
Santana 03:18
Just stop doing drugs. Can you stop doing drugs?
Roland 03:22
What do you miss most about this individual?
Santana 03:26
Nothing.
Roland 03:28
How do you think this individual would want to be remembered?
Santana 03:33
That he was a drug addict.
Roland 03:37
Can you talk about the biggest obstacle this individual overcame in life?
Santana 03:42
Anxiety.
Roland 03:45
Was there anything you and said individual disagreed about or experienced some conflict around? Is there anything in particular that you disagreed about? Or fought over?
Santana 04:00
Smoking too much weed.
Roland 04:02
Is something that this person did that made it made you smile?
Santana 04:06
That I broke up with him.
Roland 04:07
What was your relationship like?
Santana 04:10
Abusive.
Roland 04:12
What did this person look like?
Santana 04:15
Like a G.
Roland 04:17
Did you have any favorite jokes that he used to tell?
Santana 04:21
No.
Roland 04:23
Do you have any stories you want to share about the set individual?
Santana 04:26
No.
Roland 04:28
What were the said individuals hopes and dreams for the future or for the future?
Santana 04:34
That he wants to get sober and that he doesn't want to deal with jail and like cops and probation and all that shit. That he wants to be happy and let go of like a lot of like fake people in his life and like a lot of snakes in his life.
Roland 04:55
Is there something about the said individual that you think no one else knows?
Santana 05:02
No.
Roland 05:04
How are you different now than you were before you lost this person?
Santana 05:10
Still the same.
Roland 05:12
What has helped you most in your grief?
Santana 05:16
Honestly, just not much just acceptance.
Roland 05:21
And what are the hardest times?
Santana 05:24
That we fought all the time, I guess.
Roland 05:26
How would you describe the deceased?
Santana 05:31
Well, the people that cared about him, they brought him back to life with naloxone.
Roland 05:42
What is your favorite memory of the deceased?
Santana 05:47
Nothing.
Roland 05:48
What did you call them? Any nicknames or Terms of Endearment?
Santana 05:52
Just Craig. That's it.
Roland 05:55
How long did you know that deceased?
Santana 05:58
Seven years.
Roland 06:00
What do you think the deceased valued most in life?
Santana 06:04
His family.
Roland 06:06
How would you describe the deceased personality?
Santana 06:10
Honest.
Roland 06:12
How did you meet?
Santana 06:13
Through my cousin.
Roland 06:15
What is a particular time do you recall the deceased that was especially joyful?
Santana 06:21
Not much.
Roland 06:22
Can you think of a time when he or she was embarrassed?
Santana 06:26
Getting arrested in public.
Roland 06:29
What is your earliest memory of this person?
Santana 06:32
Earliest memory, well, I haven't talked to him for frickin ever.
Roland 06:37
What was the deceased laugh like?
Santana 06:41
Just like a normal laugh.
Roland 06:44
Was he or she chronically late or early?
Santana 06:46
In between.
Roland 06:52
Do you remember any favorite stories about childhood that the deceased loved to tell?
Santana 06:58
He got along with his family and that he was happy more than he ever was right now.
Roland 07:07
Did the deceased ever discuss big decisions they made that impacted his life?
Santana 07:13
Yeah.
Roland 07:15
Were there any major changes to the deceased’s life that affected them in big ways?
Santana 07:21
Yeah.
Roland 07:22
What was the deceased’s favorite color?
Santana 07:24
Oh, I don't remember.
Roland 07:27
Do you know what their favorite flower was?
Santana 07:29
I don't know.
Roland 07:31
What kind of music did they listen to?
Santana 07:33
Rap and hip-hop.
Roland 07:35
Was there a piece of clothing or something else the deceased wore that you found characteristic of them?
Santana 07:41
Baggy pants and hoodies and wore a hat.
Roland 07:46
Did they have a signature saying?
Santana 07:49
Well, nothing they said but something they showed.
Roland 07:54
How did the deceased impact your life?
Santana 07:59
Just stay away from drugs.
Roland 08:02
How will you honor the deceased memory?
Santana 08:06
I don't want to remember him.
Roland 08:09
What do you wish you had said to them before they died?
Santana 08:14
Stop doing drugs.
Jenna Keeble 08:16
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.