The loss of her son saved lives
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 19 July 2017 03:45
- Written by editor
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Hello PAOV —
Andrew was like most 8-year-olds, he loved sports, being mischievous, and playing on his Xbox. He also had a big heart and loved his family — a family that expected a lifetime of memories.
One March evening, Andrew was given his medicine that helped with his sleeping disorder. It was a routine part of their evening. What they didn’t know, was the pharmacy had made a fatal error — they gave Andrew’s parents the wrong medicine. The next morning, when Andrew’s dad went to wake him, his son was dead.
It was every parent’s worst nightmare, and one that would take months to get answers. When they did, it only made their heartbreak worse. On top of it all, they learned Ontario did not track these type of mistakes, or even require them to be reported. Andrew’s mom, Melissa, decided to turn their loss into a mission.
Melissa started a Change.org petition asking the Ontario government to join other provinces to require tracking and reporting of dispensary errors.
Andrew’s spirit guided her as she retold over and over again the horrors of losing her son, all in the hopes of saving lives and preventing other families from experiencing this pain. Melissa shared how these errors happen thousands of times a year, and how her tragedy could have been prevented had past errors been tracked and used to put in place better procedures to prevent the type of mistake that took the life of a healthy 8-year-old.
Melissa saw support for her petition take off, she received words of encouragement from families that had similar experiences, and the press put a spotlight on her story and the issue. In a bittersweet moment, just as Andrew would have celebrated his 10th birthday, Melissa’s petition won.
We never want people to have to come to Change.org for the reasons Melissa did. But when the stakes are life and death, families need to have access to the tools to get justice and save lives. Just as important, we want those tools to be free and effective. We can only do that with the help of people like you.
Change.org is powered by our members — people who believe in our mission of empowering anyone, anywhere to make a difference. Their monthly contributions ensure we remain an open and free platform, connect petition starters with millions of potential supporters, and drive impact on the important issues facing our communities. Will you become a member today, and help people like Melissa?
Melissa’s victory was inspiring, especially in the face of such a great loss. We want to be sure, no matter what people are fighting for, they are able to have the same experience of starting a petition on Change.org, knowing they are not alone, and discovering not only can they have a voice, but they can win. You can make that happen today by becoming a Change.org member.
Help us ramp up our support for campaigns like Melissa’s. Change.org is developing the tools and resources to ensure everybody can be heard and has the ability to make real, lasting impact, but we need your support. We have set a goal of 100 new members by July 31st. Will you join today to help us reach our goal?
Thank you in advance for your support, and we are excited to welcome you into the Change.org membership community.
Laura D.
Canadian Campaigns Team
