Samantha Brantley stood in front of 30 attendees from the community at Miller’s Chapel UMC, with purple lights and beautiful stained-glass windows positioned behind her, and a memorial board in the foyer in front of her. The memorial board displayed some of the many faces and names of people in our community who have been lost to substance use and addiction.

During her testimony, she casually sat down on the altar and began to passionately share about two faces on the memorial board that she had personally lost to substance use. Brantley shared with the audience that many more people are struggling with the disease of addiction in our community with little to no hope.

She stressed that the reason she is so passionate about taking part in the vigil was because she had seen first-hand the hope that relationships and support brought to someone in their journey to recovery. “Events like this help break the stigma, you meet people from all walks of life and realize that addiction doesn’t discriminate.” She shared that these events also give people a sense of family and belonging, despite their past.

Brantley, Operations Manager at Knoxville Recovery Center, along with Brenda Adams, Chief Marketing Officer for Kingdom Recovery, told of their recovery journeys during the 2nd annual Lost and Loved Night of Remembrance, hosted by ICARE on Thursday evening, August 31st.

Adams emphasized to not give up on your loved one. “Some of the most powerful testimonies I know come from recovering people who’ve overdosed, sometimes more than once, or people who struggled for years to get clean and it finally ‘clicked’ and they began to recover!” She also shared that “whatever you do, don’t think you can shame them into changing. Shame is the very thing that keeps them trapped because they’re so ashamed already and using again is the only way they know how to cope with that shame. Next to finances, shame is the second biggest barrier to people getting mental health and substance abuse treatment.”

Tables were set up near the church porch by local organizations offering help for those families affected by substance use including East Region Substance Misuse Coordinators, Kayleigh Clark and Audra Epperson, and TN Regional Overdose Prevention Specialist, Catherine Brunson. Naloxone and Kloxxado were made available to qualifying individuals, at no charge.

Events like the Loved and Lost candlelight vigil, help remind those dealing with addiction or who know people struggling with substance abuse, know they are not alone in the battle.

“No problem can be solved unless it is acknowledged. Overdose deaths can be prevented, but the first step is to talk about it,” shared Carrie Cate, Administrative Assistant with ICARE. “That’s what we’re trying to do, to initiate conversations so people can feel safe asking for help, and those who are grieving can feel supported instead of judged.”

The event concluded outside with a candlelight vigil at dusk. Kristi McCaleb, Program Coordinator for ICARE, led the group in prayer for loved ones lost and for people currently struggling with addiction. As each candle was lit, attendees were invited to share who they were lighting their candle for.

“So many in our community that we have lost to addiction are only remembered for just that, their addiction. It’s important to me that each life be remembered as a human, with dignity and respect”, says McCaleb. “Their identity is not in the drugs. They each have names, and those names will always be remembered here.”

Mary Nell Varner, of Miller’s Chapel UMC, shared that if anyone is looking for a recovery meeting to attend, they offer one at the church every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. Childcare is provided; for questions, please call 423-441-0370. Brantley also shared that Shiloh Recovery meets every Thursday at The Journey Church, from 7-8 p.m. and dinner is provided; For questions, please call 865-256-1616. Everyone is welcome.

Want your voice to be heard or want to join in our prevention efforts? We would love to hear from you. Contact us at icare.union.county.tn@gmail.com to join our email list and learn more.

Kristi McCaleb
Program Coordinator for ICARE