'Loss Of Life': LI's March To The Sea Raises Opioid Crisis Awareness

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Family and friends of people who died from opioid overdoses found solace in solidarity over the weekend as they honored their loved ones at Robert Moses State Park.

A crowd of people gathered on Sunday to bring awareness to the opioid epidemic that's wreaked havoc on the United States during the March to the Sea, a gathering inspired by the Trail of Truth initiative in 2023, when 2,000 homemade tombstones were placed near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to memorialize those lost overdoses.

Around 100 people participated and created a "cemetery" made with "tombstones" bearing the names and photos of people they loved—and lost—to fentanyl and other opioids.

In a statement, Carole Trottere, who lost her son Alex to fentanyl in 2018, said the group's intention was to "call attention to the loss of life, the legion of grieving family members left in the wake and to call on elected officials, nationally and locally, to commit to responsible and transparent spending of the Opioid Settlement Funds nationwide."

Trotter said the group sat withe the tombstones to memorialize their loved ones and spoke to beachgoers about what they represented. Eventually, they families carried the tombstones along the shoreline, and finally, read each and every name aloud.

"We on Long Island are turning our pain into purpose and were proud to share our truth with the Trail of Truth this year, to share our angels, to say their names, to tell our stories, to not only remember our loved ones but unite and march together for a day of awareness, advocacy, activism and, most importantly, healing with a fever to make change," said Lori Carbonaro, who lost her son Nicholas in 2014.

The event was organized by Families in Support of Treatment, Long Island Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, and Gabriel’s Giving Tree, an organization that helps local families with the costs of burying loved ones who died from drug overdoses. Anyone interested in more information may call 516-747-2606.