This commentary is by Gregory Tatro of Johnson. He is co-founder of Jenna’s Promise, a recovery village in Northern Vermont.
This Feb. 15 marks six years since I lost my sister Jenna to substance use disorder. Six years since my family faced the unimaginable — something far too many families in this state have endured. Six years of seeing firsthand how this crisis is too often ignored.
Every single day, we lose the equivalent of a 747 crashing out of the sky to overdoses. If that were happening daily, the entire country would be at a standstill until we made real changes. But because it’s addiction — because of stigma — we just keep moving. We just keep accepting the unacceptable, because it’s “those people.”
My family founded Jenna’s Promise after we lost my sister to help others who are struggling with substance use disorder and to change the conversation about this disease. If we continue to stigmatize both those trying to overcome addiction and those in recovery, we will keep losing people — our neighbors, our friends. Our family. Not just to substance use, but to hopelessness and exclusion.
Stigma is the wall that divides what is from what could be. But it’s a brittle wall — our voices can break it down. Our collective spotlights can expose its cracks. And when we bring together people across this country to challenge outdated perceptions, we don’t just shine a light on the crisis — we create momentum for change. And talking about it is part of the cure.
That’s where we need your help.
On this sixth anniversary of Jenna’s passing, we’re asking people to use their voices to bring this issue out of the shadows, and into that spotlight.
On that day, Feb. 15th, use the hashtag #SixYearsOfHope to share a message of support for all those who have been affected by substance use. It can be on social media, Front Porch Forum, an email list or to your local newspaper. You can share a personal story, highlight the importance of recovery or simply post to remind others that addiction is a disease — and that people in recovery deserve respect and opportunity. All of us know someone who struggles, who strives for a better tomorrow or a fair shot to use their talents and potential for a new start.
It doesn’t matter who you are — your voice matters. To help break that silence. To help move the conversation into places it isn’t happening enough. When we break the silence, we light a flame for people in need of light. And when we stand together — our voices joined across Vermont and beyond — we remind those still struggling that they are not alone. That those in recovery deserve opportunities, dignity and respect.
This is a real chance for each of us to say: This matters.
Yours could be the message that makes someone stop, listen and realize that we can’t keep looking away. Or it could be the spark of hope needed in a moment like this.
Thank you for using your voice, and for your continued support these past six years.
Gregory Tatro, Jenna’s brother
Read the story on VTDigger here: Gregory Tatro: Six years of hope.