When Aileen Lovejoy talks about her son, Francis, she talks about not only his death at 41 after struggling with substance use for over 20 years, but also his life as a son, father and someone who helped others with their own battle with substance use.
Lovejoy’s efforts to raise awareness about substance use and to help those who have lost a loved one have taken on many forms. With Deb Dowd-Foley, Lovejoy facilitates HALO 18, Healing After a Loss from an Overdose support group. Lovejoy also serves as a peer grief support specialist and peer grief ally, a layperson who provides support and advocacy for those who have lost a loved one to substance use and related causes.
Lovejoy volunteers as a facilitator and group leader for grief support at the Carriage House in Worcester and is a member of Team Sharing-MA, an online grief support group for parents…