Jillian Slatas, a 26-year-old who died of a drug overdose in November 2017, her father founded The Jillian Foundation in her memory.

Jillian Slatas, a 26-year-old bright young woman and proud graduate of Bentley University, died of an accidental drug overdose on November 12, 2017. She was an aspiring nurse who fell into the trap of drug addiction.
Tragically, her life was cut short by an accidental drug overdose, leaving her family and friends grappling with profound grief. Her heartbroken father founded The Jillian Foundation in her memory to help others struggling with addiction. Learn more about Jillian and her father’s inspiring story.
Who was Jillian Slatas?
Jillian Maura Slatas was a promising young woman who battled mental disorders and addiction for several years. She graduated with Honors in Marketing from Bentley College in 2013. She had a calling to help people, so she decided to return to school to become a nurse. She was prescribed Tramadol by her Physician, which started her years-long battle with addiction.
She went into rehab and quit using but eventually relapsed. She remained clean sometimes for months and years. Sadly, in 2017, she relapsed again; this time, the addiction claimed her life. On November 12, 2017, she died of an overdose while self-medicating using heroin, which was laced with fentanyl. Her tragic death scarred her family for life.
The Jillian Foundation
Jillian’s father, Alan Slatas, founded The Jillian Foundation in 2019 to raise community awareness and initiate a local movement to eradicate the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts. Jillian was a kind, empathetic person who dreamt of helping others by becoming a nurse. Her dream was realized by her father, who started this organization to continue her legacy by helping others get the help they need when they need it.
Her father believed that the traditional procedures used to quit addiction were harsh and inadequate, resulting in an 80% relapse rate. He introduced the Harm Reduction method, which includes a humanistic approach and alternative forms of treatment.
The funds from the Foundation are used to provide harm reduction training and resources at the institutions at the vanguard of tackling Massachusetts’ opioid epidemic, such as Gosnold, Bentley University, and Martha’s Vineyard community services. His focus is to de-stigmatize addiction and help people without feeling judged.
Who is Jillian’s boyfriend, Anthony Varela?
The late Jillian Slatas’s boyfriend, Anthony Varela, is a powerful spokesperson and advocate for mental health issues and addiction. Like Jillian’s father, he transformed his pain of loss into helping others who were suffering in the same way Jillian once did.
He is dedicated to bringing attention to funding programs aimed at preventing opioid addiction. He has initiated fundraisers to support training and education in the memory of his beloved partner. He advocated for public awareness and mental health issues to save others from the same fate.
We sincerely hope that the community is more empathetic towards people struggling with mental health issues and addiction. We also hope that people who are struggling with mental health seek professional help and stay away from using and abusing drugs. Drugs are dangerous and addictive. It is paramount to seek immediate help if you have a substance use disorder.
Source: uptospeedjournalism.com
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