Couple Walks Side by Side Through Grief
Part One
By Luke Schmaltz, VOICES Newsletter Editor
Alyson and Greg Shea are the founders of 143 Gregory Foundation. This nonprofit organization honors their youngest son, Gregory, who died of a fentanyl overdose on February 24, 2021.
Over the last four years, the couple has walked side by side in their grief, leaning on each other for support when the pain is too great to bear alone. In their journey, they have channeled their grief into community outreach, spreading awareness, political action, and the deliberate pursuit of healing.
Loss and Direction
“Gregory was the youngest of five,” Alyson begins. “He was very involved in sports and looking forward to his future. On that morning in 2021, my husband, my other son Sean, and I found him in our family room. He looked like he had been gone for a while. We were devastated and in disbelief. As a result, I spent a lot of time in bed…in that fog of grief.”
“After my anger phase,” Alyson continues, “I continued to think about Gregory a lot, knowing he would not want us to focus on the negative, but to focus on the positive – which was the idea of helping other people.”
“I was lucky in that we had support from my four other children, our friends, and Gregory’s friends. We started talking about the 143 Gregory Foundation. My husband says that this focus saved my life because at that time, I was not functional.”
“It took a year-and-a-half to get our nonprofit established. In that time, we have evolved…a little bit. One of the things that resonates with us is what other families go through when a loved one is struggling with substances – especially when they don’t have the resources or tools to find help. We have been able to help others in a way that I never thought was possible.”
“Alyson’s state of grief started to improve when we came up with the idea for the foundation,” Greg says. “The more we talked about it, the more feasible it became, so we sat down and talked it over with the kids. They were on board and then we brought in a friend of the family who is a website developer. We didn’t know if it was going to go anywhere or be successful. It was slow going at first, but we went online and found a pro bono legal team that was willing to file our nonprofit application for us. It is a very involved process but the legal team we found didn’t charge us a dime. That was such a gift to us. We have had so many fortunate experiences through this process. It’s either Gregory looking down on us or God or both. We have been treated so well by so many people.”
“The foundation started to come together, and we started to grow,” Greg continues. “The scholarships were our first big event. Gregory would have been so proud to see us helping his peers and doing something positive in his name. That was a great feeling. It was cathartic, and it helped us immensely.”
Reaching Out
“We started by providing resources to people who were in active substance use and to those who were at risk of suicide,” Alyson says. “When we realized that some people could not access the resources, we started going out into neighborhoods and delivering baskets to sober homes and providing resources to those who had lost a loved one.”
“We were able to help a young family who had lost two parents to substance use by providing them with financial assistance. We did this through a local agency that focuses on the children of families in need.”
“We also got involved in providing scholarships for students in high school through The Resiliency Scholarship Foundation. Last year was our first year with the organization. We received 50 applications; all were deserving kids from Scituate. We needed a box of tissues to get through them all. There is a lot of adversity that goes unseen. People don’t realize how others in their own hometown are struggling. But it is right here in our backyard. We know, from what some of the applicants shared in their essays, that teens and parents in this community are struggling with substance use. We learned that there is anxiety, mental health issues, physical abuse, and attempted suicides being dealt with all around us.”
Greg explains how one of the standout applicants, who was awarded a scholarship, was coping with almost unfathomable circumstances. “The girl we awarded one of the scholarships to had lost both parents and had no siblings. She was living with her 88-year-old grandmother whom she had to take care of due to ailments and disabilities. She still managed to keep her studies on track with plans to go to college. She managed all of that along with a part-time job. We wish we could have given every one of those kids a scholarship.”
“The name of the scholarship reminded us of Gregory,” Alyson adds. “The act of awarding scholarships, in the moment, was great. Our other two children were with us, and it was a special day. But, at the end of it all, it doesn’t bring my son back.”
Community Unites
The Sheas reflect how getting involved with Gregory’s old high school was a positive way to channel their grief. “It was good for us,” Alyson says. “All the teachers and coaches still knew him and many of the students knew of him. We used our own money to fund the scholarships, and this year we plan to offer more.”
On April 12, the Shea family’s foundation hosted the Gregory’s Run for Hope 5K. The event focused on raising awareness about substance use and the impact of fentanyl on communities. “After the road race, I felt very loved,” Alyson says. “The community really came together and supported us. People weren’t afraid to talk about substance use disorder. There were people in attendance from Massachusetts Center for Adolescent Wellness, SADOD, and various other organizations. People showed up in support of our son, the cause, or both. It was amazing to see how many people really loved him. Driving home, I had all these wonderful emotions, but I realized, he is not coming back.”
“At the 5K road race, we were overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support,” Greg says. “Leading up to it and the day of, so many people commented on the feeling of spirit and cohesion surrounding the event. We didn’t even know 90 percent of the attendees. They came from all over the region to run in the race and to help support us. We were moved by the number of sponsors we had and the selfless generosity of the people who participated and wanted to help.”
“It was rainy and windy, and I still can’t believe how many people showed up,” Greg continues. “We had 244 registered runners, and this was the first year we had done this. We thought if we had 100 participants we would be lucky. The turnout was humbling to say the least. The afterglow of that day is still with us – the fact that it was a success and that we got to meet with and interact with so many people. We want to give the foundation’s name and mission exposure so that we can reach more people. Now, a lot more people are aware of who we are and what we are doing. That can feed into referrals for people who need help. We are a small nonprofit in a small town, but we have big hopes.”
“It was amazing,” Alyson adds. “It was amazing to see so many people out there, interacting, breaking down the stigma, and talking about substance use.”
Steadfast Support
Greg reflects on how powerful their grief was, yet how it impacted them both in different ways. “We are a team,” he says. “We are aligned in that we both miss our son desperately. But when it first happened, we were devastated and each lost in our own personal grief. There were times when I didn’t know if Alyson was going to get better. I was scared for her and for us as a couple. It has definitely put a strain on our relationship. She may feel one way at any given time, and I may feel another way. But it is important that we support one another, regardless.”
“We learned to lean on each other, and we worked on the 143 Gregory Foundation together as a team, which was huge” Greg concludes.” We moved mountains. We pledged to one another that whatever obstacles we may encounter, we will overcome them together. Thank God, because I would be lost without her.”
Part Two of this story will explore the Shea’s efforts to enact legislation designed to decrease fentanyl deaths as well as how each has found ways of coping with grief. Stay tuned to VOICES for the rest of the story in the June 2025 issue.