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Judy Wasserman hopes that when people see the photos and names written on the black paper balloons on the trees along a stretch of Churchill Drive, they think about the many Manitobans who died due to overdose. She hopes they think about people like her brother Josh Zeller, who she lost to an accidental overdose just over two years ago.
“He struggled for many, many years,” said Wasserman, after affixing his photo and name on one of the trees. “We lost him two years ago on Feb. 26, 2019. In the last year or so of his life, he was really trying to get help and help is not readily available here unless you have a lot of money. He died on a wait list (for treatment). We work really hard to try to (get the message out that) we need treatment available and we need people to be able to ask for the help and not feel that stigma, not feel judged, not feel shame.