Surviving Overdose, Understanding Loss (SOUL) was started by MaryAnn Lemonds in 2011 after the death of her 21-year-old son, Ben, to an accidental heroin overdose.

MaryAnn had attended an Al-Anon parent group while Ben was struggling with his substance use disorder and found the support very helpful.

Following Ben’s death, she attended several parent grief support meetings, but felt a stigma related to the cause of Ben’s death.

Many of the other attendees seemed to feel that her loss was somehow less than that of those who had lost a loved one to illness or an accident. There seemed to be a lack of understanding of the disease of addiction. She stopped attending the meetings.

While attending a community meeting at the Harris House, the last place where Ben received treatment, she was approached by the facility’s program director and asked if she thought St. Louis needed a grief support group specifically for those who had lost a loved one to the disease of addiction and/or overdose. She resoundingly replied YES and two months later the group began meeting at Harris House.

Grief is a difficult journey. MaryAnn has learned to move forward with the hole in her heart, but she continues to value the support of her SOUL friends who understand the grief rollercoaster, her need to share memories of Ben, and to support those still struggling with substance use disorder.

In Ben’s memory, she is there to support others who have lost a loved one on their grief journey.