Young mom among dead in suspected overdoses

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This article was published 17/11/2016 (3029 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of three people found dead of a suspected fentanyl overdose Wednesday has been identified as Aayla Asham, a young mother of two.

The woman’s younger sister said on social media Thursday she is speaking out publicly to raise awareness of the consequences of using fentanyl.

“No one deserves to be put through what I’m going through right now,” Aatlanta Asham wrote on her Facebook page. “So, in honour of my sister, I promise, Aayla, I will not stop speaking about you and how much you meant to us here and letting people know the dangers of this drug.”

Aayla Asham was 21.

“She was so kind,” Aatlanta said in an interview with CTV. “She’d do anything for anyone. If you ever needed help, she’d be right there to help you. She was an amazing mother to two beautiful children.”

The two other people found dead at the home on Petriw Bay — a man and a woman — were also under 40. People who live nearby said the man who owned the home, “Mikey,” was one of the deceased. He formerly had his own lawn-care and snow-removal business and had been a hard worker, two of his neighbours said.

Aayla Asham had been staying in the home, her sister said Thursday. Aayla had reportedly struggled with cocaine addiction.

The added danger of using street drugs is they may be laced with fentanyl, a powerful opioid. The United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg held a news conference Thursday to say its members respond to fentanyl overdoses daily. Although they are able to revive many people, “Some young citizens of Winnipeg are dying tragically,” the union said in a news release.

That’s why Aatlanta Asham said she was going public to talk about losing a loved one to fentanyl.

“Don’t use it. You can see how many people it’s killing,” she told CTV.