MSTH Advocacy Spotlight - January 2026
At MSTH, we highlight some of our members and advocates from across Canada.
Our members do incredible work in their communities to raise awareness of the drug poisoning crisis in different ways.
Some facilitate our peer support groups Holding Hope and our peer bereavement support groups Healing Hearts, while others work in advocacy for MSTH in their communities and provinces.
To find out how YOU can become more involved please connect with us at info@momsstoptheharm.com
Rhonda Pouliot, Edmonton, AB
Why did you become a member of Moms Stop The Harm?
In the early morning of 6 April 2022, my son, Chris, was found unresponsive. His downtime was unknown, but he was resuscitated twice; once on the way to the hospital by EMS, and again in the ED when he coded upon arrival. He was transferred to the ICU at the Misericordia hospital and remained there until he died on 12 Apr 2022, after I decided to take him off life support. Life was a blur after that, but a very good friend introduced me to someone who had a connection to MSTH, and that person hooked me up. I am a doer, so it became clear early on that MSTH was a good connection, as I could feel helpful when everything else felt helpless. I attended my first IOAD that same year and could see the need for the voices of those lost to substance use to be heard. I also joined the peer support group affiliated with MSTH, Healing Hearts. I attended my first meeting in July 2022 and became a group co-facilitator early in 2024.
What does being an advocate mean to you?
Being an advocate means various things to me. As a healthcare professional, I immediately think of the advocacy we do for our patients. We try to put ourselves in the shoes of those we serve in order to ensure they get the best treatment and have the best experiences possible. Our patients' circumstances are often dire, and we see them at their most vulnerable, so advocating for them when they are not necessarily able to do so themselves is crucial. This mindset extends to advocating for those who use substances. In my case, it's as if I advocate for my son, who died of substance-related harm, and my daughter, who is a high-risk substance user who has been significantly harmed by illegal substances use over the years. I think of them. I think of what they need. I think about the evidence that can be used to help them. This is what I advocate for. For them, as I don't want my son's cause of death to be hidden or diminished, and I don't want my daughter to meet the same end. For me, as I don't want to lose another child senselessly. For everyone, as I don't want another human to die this way, and I don't want another parent to experience the gutwrenching anguish that I have experienced. I also think that advocacy lies in being a peer support facilitator in the Healing Hearts group. In this realm, we are advocating for folks to find "their people" and to find comfort in connecting with those who have experienced similar anguish. We advocate for people as individuals as they navigate their grief. I often find myself reinforcing that there is no "right" way to grieve and ensuring they know this and that we support them.
What do you want people to know about Moms Stop the Harm?
I would like folks to know that MSTH has been a great source of comfort for me. Comfort in knowing that there is a group that is actually doing something to advocate for the end of this senseless drug poisoning crisis. Comfort in knowing that there are public displays, like IOAD, that bring folks together who have experienced the harms that this crisis has caused. Comfort in knowing that I am not alone.
