The sun shone down Thursday afternoon on Vancouver Waterfront Park to illuminate the photos of hundreds of people who lost their lives to drug overdose .

They were all someone’s son. Someone’s daughter. Someone’s mother. Someone’s father. Someone’s sibling.

In honor of Clark County’s ninth Annual Overdose and Fentanyl Awareness Day, dozens gathered to commemorate those who have died from substance abuse across the county. Memorials for 257 people lined the grass. The day is recognized across the world, but the Vancouver event was created by Lyn Fortner in 2017. She lost her son Ryan Furness to a heroin overdose in 2012.

“This affects so many people in our community that we don’t think about. We still have so much shame with people who struggle with mental health issues,” Fortner said.

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