Overdose death of son leads mother to say: 'There isn't anyone who doesn't matter'

An Ontario mother whose son died of an overdose on the streets of Vancouver has a message for the people of that city: her son mattered.

Cindy Stuyt's son, Bailey Thomas Townsend, died at the age of 28 on Dec. 17 on a sidewalk bench.

"He was on video surveillance at the time he sat down, about two, three in the morning, and it kind of looked like he was just dozing off," Stuyt told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn. "I guess around 5:30 is when the first person called for help."

Stuyt wrote to Vancouver Sun writer Shelley Fralic about the death of her son, and after Fralic wrote a column about Townsend's death, the woman who tried to save him came forward.

Fralic connected the two via email.

"It took me all day to get the courage to email her back, but I have," she said. "I just thanked them for being so understanding and I'm sure it was hard on them as well."

"She says she walks by that bench every day and says hello to Bailey."

'Just let them know they're not alone'

Stuyt also wanted Fralic to get the message out that "there isn't anyone who doesn't matter."

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She wants people in Vancouver and elsewhere to have more compassion for homeless and addicted people on the street.

"Don't walk by people and just assume," she said. "Think about them. Think about their families."

Townsend's family, including Stuyt, is now left grieving his absence.

Stuyt says the person grieving the hardest is his young daughter.

"She knows that her daddy is gone. And she's struggling. She had a very hard time," Stuyt said.

Stuyt knows that in Vancouver, manypeople pass by addicted and homeless people on aregular basis. But she hopes people don't become jaded to their suffering.

"Offer them a hand. A hug. A kind word. Just let them know they're not alone."

To hear the full story, clickthe audio labelled:Cindy Stuyton the life and death of her son, Bailey