Messages of Hope

Long Format Video Campaign

The Bureau for Behavioral Health engaged The Manahan Group, acting Agency of Record for WV DHHR, for assistance in planning their State Opioid Response (SOR) grant cycle. Their objective was to build on testimonials recorded in 2022 to show not only the impact on those dealing with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) personally but to expand the spotlight to also capture video testimonials from families impacted by the opioid crisis. The goals were to utilize real-life stories to create awareness and decrease the stigma faced by those affected by Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and let families and loved ones of those affected by SUD know they are not alone and there is hope.

TMG worked closely with the Bureau for Behavioral Health to identify stories within local communities that would highlight the larger impact of opioids on the extended families of those facing SUD themselves. The idea was inspired by a conversation had with the spouse of one of our 2022 subjects, and his story of the challenges he faced trying to find the support his wife needed. With the help of the state agency, three subjects were identified: a spouse who aided his wife into recovery, a mom who lost her son to substance use disorder, and a southern West Virginia woman who lost her father to SUD before finding recovery herself.

Individual pre-interviews were held to learn each volunteer’s story and prepare for longer format interviews. These dialogues went well and kept our costs down as they allowed each volunteer to get comfortable in front of a camera and to be confident in sharing their stories. To create authenticity, every story was filmed on location in the volunteer’s home.

“From the very moment that we lost him, I said ‘I don’t want one more person to die.’ We went to a meeting and there was a man there and heard our story. He was in recovery and said to us, ‘your son’s death was preventable.’ And that’s what I needed to trigger that in me to know that, okay, now that I know that it’s preventable, then there’s something I can do.”

— CeCe, a mother who shares her story on Back to Life WV

CeCe’s son Ryan overdosed and passed away. Afterward, she began networking and building relationships. She and her husband launched International Overdose Awareness Day in Charleston.

“Ultimately it is the communities that help the people … I started off doing a lot of event organizing because I really liked that aspect of bringing people together to celebrate. There’s so much hurt all the time. You need to have people together to empower them … to give them hope.”

— Joanna, a daughter who shares her story on Back to Life WV

At 15, Joanna lost her father to a fatal overdose. Seeing gifts from high school classmates at his funeral helped her realize she was not alone.

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