ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Since 2001, International Overdose Awareness Day has been held in August, with a goal of raising awareness to the epidemic on a global stage. Locally, Live4lali has held its own overdose awareness event, this time on Friday at North School Park.
For Jody Daitchman, founder of Live4lali, the day has held a special and significant meaning for the past 15 years. In December 2008, Daitchman’s son, Alex Laliberte, died from an accidental heroin overdose in the family’s Buffalo Grove home. He was only 20 years old.
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Daitchman remains determined to keep her son’s spirit alive and help others in need. A few months after his death, she, along with her daughter, Chelsea Laliberte Barnes, and Alex’s dad, Gary Laliberte, started the nonprofit organization, based in Arlington Heights.
“Every person, young or old, should be educated about harm reduction, carry naloxone and realize that no one is immune to overdose or an overdose death,” Daitchman told Patch in 2023. “Language is also an important component of what we do. We meet people where they are at and treat them with the utmost respect. This is a disease like every other disease, and knowledge about this is a must.”
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Friday’s event will run from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at N. Evergreen Avenue and E. Eastman Street. Attendees are asked to bring a chair and a framed photo of their loved one.
To learn more about Live4lali, visit the organization’s website here.
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