Will you join us in our journey to help reduce overdose deaths?

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I first met Lukas when I moved to Canada from Chile in 2006 playing in the jungle gym of Edith Cavell, the elementary school we both attended. We got along extremely well sharing common interest of grade 2’s and would later become closer throughout our later years of school. Me and Lukas loved to goof around and would spend days on end skiing, skateboarding, playing video games and enjoying eachothers company every moment we could. My childhood memories are consistently alongside Lukas and I was very fortunate to have been able to call him my best friend for several years while we attended Edith Cavell and Lord Byng together.

Today Sebastian is      

a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia’s faculty of Political Science who advocates for increasing awareness for the ongoing opioid crisis. Some of his key interests are the drug crisis and poverty alleviation in Vancouver. He plans to use his political science background to enact policies that will take steps to eliminate the toxic drug supply and improve recovery programs for individuals with substance use disorder. He believes that the opioid crisis needs to be made a federal issue so that politicians and citizens can no longer disregard the ongoing health emergency before us. 

Lukas and I have been a team since day one. We were always the closest of siblings and I miss him so much. I have so many memories of us growing up together; playing in the backyard, walking the dogs, going skiing, camping trips, swimming at our cabin, goofing around and sometimes just keeping each other company while having long talks about life. The list goes on.

It hasn't really hit me yet, that Lukas is gone. I feel as though this emptiness without him is just temporary, as if he were sick and would be back sometime soon. When I think about the fact this this is real, that my brother is actually gone, I feel overwhelmed with emotions.

Sofia has graduated from the University of Victoria with of Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology a a Minor in Business. Her studies were specialized in mental health and psychological development across the life span. With a background in both psychology and business, she is now working full time as Executive Director, with an unmatched level of motivation to save lives in memory of her brother, Lukas.

Blake is an avid skateboarder and biker with a passion for nature and all things outdoors. After losing his friend Lukas to drug overdose in 2017, Blake was moved to educate young people about the opioid crisis, safe harm reduction, and mental health issues in order to prevent the tragic loss of lives. Blake is especially passionate about educating people on the positive impact that nature and the outdoors can have on one’s mental health. Blake can usually be found  skateboarding, biking, enjoying the ocean, or designing merchandise and creating videos for his skate clothing line, Quilchena Locals (Instagram @quilchlocs). 

Jack is a bodybuilder and personal trainer who seeks to bridge the gap between the fitness world and the mental health world. His goal is to educate young people about how they can use exercise and nutrition as a tool to improve their mental health. He became involved with Lukas House Society after losing close friends to fatal overdoses, and he is passionate about sharing their stories with the world in order to save lives.

Mikayla is a fourth-year US History major at the University of Victoria. She is passionate about ending the stigma surrounding substance use disorder and increasing awareness about the opioid crisis and the importance of harm-reduction. Mikayla uses her platform to speak up for those who do not have a voice, and she believes that getting vocal about substance use disorder and mental health issues is essential to fighting this opioid crisis. On her days off, Mikayla can be found reading a book, listening to music on her record player, or shredding on the ski hill.

Johnny is a business student at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Passionate about all things sales and marketing, Johnny aims to use his business and entrepreneurial knowledge to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and the opioid crisis. He advocates for reducing stigma by promoting open and honest discussions about mental health in schools, businesses, communities, and governments. In his time off, Johnny loves snowboarding, mountain biking, and hitting the gym.