Macka’s Mission Honors Justin McRae
By Luke Schmaltz, VOICES Newsletter Editor
Macka’s Mission was founded in 2021 by the family of Justin “Macka” McRae, who died of a fentanyl overdose in February 2020. The organization strives to increase awareness about overdose and to reduce stigma associated with substance use and mental illness.
To honor Justin’s love of athletics, Macka’s Mission also hosts an annual basketball tournament to raise support funds for people in recovery.
Justin’s sister, Lauren DiZio, shares insight into his life and explains how Macka’s Mission helps her family cope with loss by helping others.
“I am one of four siblings,” DiZio begins. “Justin was the youngest. Growing up, he was such a great kid, he played a lot of sports, and had lots of different friends. He is from a great family – we are all good people who care about others. At some point during his teenage years, he lost his way and started dabbling in certain substances. Once he got to college, he struggled with mental illness and – as anyone does – had trouble figuring out what to do with himself.”
Hidden Struggle
“Justin overdosed for the first time at the end of 2018. That was a very eye-opening event for my family and I because we didn’t realize the severity of his use and the mixing of the substances which caused the overdose. He would do well for a couple of months, then drop off, and then start doing better again. At the end of 2019, he was trying to detox from opioids and he reached out for help. We brought him to detox and he went to rehab afterward.”
“He wanted to come home after rehab but we started learning more about the recovery process, so we encouraged him to go to sober living. He was in sober living for a couple of months, but unfortunately on February 2nd of 2020, we got the tragic news.”
Open Acceptance
“Right away, we decided we wanted to include in his obituary that he was struggling with addiction and mental health. Stigma makes this a challenge for some people, and we wondered if we should protect his privacy, or put it out there so that people can know that this can happen to anybody. We saw this as one small thing we could do to reduce that stigma. We have always been very open about Justin’s struggles.”
“We processed the loss for a year as everyone in the family was dealing with grief in their own way. In 2021, we decided that one way to help ourselves would be to help others. We thought that if we could save at least one other person, it would do some good in Justin’s name.”
Inspired Outreach
“We later learned that, while in rehab and sober living, he was doing lots of great things like leading meetings and helping others, so we wanted to carry that forward. We look for ways, whether they are small or big, to help people.”
“We do fundraising and all the proceeds go to individuals who are in recovery. For example, we have an annual event coming up in June that is a three versus three basketball tournament. Last year, we were able to give money to nine different individuals in sober houses across Massachusetts to pay for one month of their sober living costs.”
“Something we learned about was the great expense of recovery. Even with what you think might be good insurance, it doesn’t cover the extent of the recovery somebody needs between detox, rehab, and sober living. We also work to support the homeless population, particularly those struggling with mental health and substance use, and organizations with a similar mission like SADOD.”
“We also talk about Justin’s story and what Macka’s Mission is all about. We do presentations at schools and interviews with media outlets. In doing so, we hope to reduce the stigma because the more people talk about it, the more they can see it can happen to anyone and they can become aware of the signs someone is struggling and what can be done to help them.”
Family Support
DiZio recounts how the month of February is particularly difficult for her family, as Justin’s birthday is one week after the anniversary of his death. “We always come together,” she explains, “At least for a few hours. It’s a hard day to manage alone. We get together and talk about him. For his birthday, we try to make it more of a celebration than a somber get together. We have his favorite food and his favorite cake, luckily we all live close so it’s not hard to get everyone together.”
“We have found that coming together helps and we never shy away from talking about him or telling stories about him. We try to keep him at the forefront and remember the good times like he is still present in our lives rather than make it something taboo that can’t be talked about.”
One Day at a Time
“I think back to the first year after he died,” DiZio continues. “I remember feeling so many ups and downs. Every day was different and I didn’t know what emotion was going to hit me next. The advice I got, which I would give to anyone, is that you have to take it day by day.”
“In order to process the grief, you can’t go around it, you have to go through it. There are a lot of societal expectations about how you’re supposed to act. Regardless, you should do what feels right to you. Try to do something for yourself, because you are going through a lot. That could mean reading, walking, journaling, cooking – whatever you can do to get yourself through the day.”
Macka’s Mission’s 3rd Annual 3V3 Basketball Tournament will take place on June 22 at the Woburn Boys and Girls Club. Proceeds will go to support people in recovery. You can learn more about entering the tournament, volunteering, or being a spectator at https://www.mackasmission.com/upcomingevents.