Searching for a Way to Move Forward
By Elaine Mitrano, Guest Contributor
My name is Elaine Mitrano and like many of you, I lost a child to overdose – almost 11 years ago. After losing my son Michael in June 2011, I spent the next eight years hurting terribly and desperately needing to do something in his memory. I went to rallies in Washington and I watched moms like Cheryl Juaire become warriors in the fight to end the stigma. But it wasn’t until I met Lois Gould, that I knew what my part in all this would be. The missing piece to the puzzle finally dropped into place for me when I discovered a way to honor my son’s memory, as well as all the others we have lost in this epidemic.
Lois started and continues to run an amazing group called Hope for Boston’s Homeless, and for the last six years, every month, Lois and her husband Frank, along with many volunteers, have gone into Boston’s Mass Ave area to hand out clothes and food and whatever else they could carry, to bring just a little love, hope, and comfort to people without housing. Many of them are battling substance use disorder, and they witness loss after loss as their friends die from substance-related deaths. I knew I had to be a part of this somehow and that’s how the backpack project was born.
Although my son never made it to Mass Ave, there were times he wasn’t allowed in my home and that he was, essentially, without a home. While he struggled to find his way, all he owned in the world was the backpack he carried and all I could do was to make sure that it was filled with warm clothes and food. Sometimes that’s all we can do -- besides pray. Although my son never did find his way and he is at peace now, I can’t stop thinking of all the other moms and dads going through what we went through. I think I know how much it would mean to them to know that their child may have a warm coat, clean socks, and even a sleeping bag. So every month now, with the help of so many others, I get 50 backpacks and fill each one as if it were for my own son’s. We also include a card in honor of someone else’s lost loved one. This means so much to everyone involved.
None of this would be possible without the help and generosity of family and friends in our community. I now join Lois and her husband every month and help them deliver as much as we possibly can. We pray that those receiving these gifts of love know they are not alone and will reach out for help. We see their faces, feel their pain, and witness their struggle. It’s heartbreaking and it’s the reason we do what we do. We pray that some of them might even make it to Gilly’s House or somewhere they will be welcomed with open arms. There is always hope.
If you would like to support this effort in any way, I’m constantly looking for backpack items and for help assembling and distributing them. Like me, It might make you feel a little better to be part of something meaningful that’s happening right here in our community. It’s a healing opportunity for you to soothe the ache in your heart for someone in your own life who lost their struggle with substance use disorder. It is in these small acts of humanity I remember my own son, as I support so many others with a similar story.
This story was adapted from a speech that Elaine gave at a Mom’s luncheon called “Finding Inner Strength to Move Forward” in November 2021.