PAIN THAT IS SHARED

Earlier Ecstasy Victim's Family Empathizes With Latest Tragedy

The day after Melissa Panganiban died from a suspected ecstasy overdose,
the grandparents of another ecstasy victim were reaching out on what would
have been their granddaughter's 19th birthday.

"I wish I could tell them I'm sorry, that I know what it's like," said
Carrie Boynowski, 75, Becky Ducharme's legal guardian. "It hurts. You look
at it, and it hits you. Why?"

Becky Ducharme was found dead Sept. 23, 2000, in a Wellington Avenue
apartment of an ecstasy overdose, little more than two years before
Panganiban's death.

"I've healed a bit but I haven't forgotten. It hurts, and that hurt will
never go away," said Joe Ducharme, 64, Ducharme's grandfather.

Panganiban died Sunday morning at her 20th-birthday party in Boissevain.
She reportedly took two ecstasy pills. RCMP suspect the pills caused her death.

Angelito Panganiban, her 18-year-old brother, said he'll remember his
sister's smile.

"She smiled all the time. She was very sweet," he said from the family's
West End home.

Malou Panganiban, Melissa's mother, said she is slowly coming to terms with
her daughter's death.

"It's so sad. I'm still in shock," she said.

Malou said she gets her strength from her extended family.

"We're going to be all together every night to pray," she said. "We're
supporting each other."

Boynowski said it's that support that will get the Panganibans through
Melissa's death.

"I go to church a lot. When you're with people, that's what helps. Becky
would've been 19 yesterday. I brought a cake for the Sunday school kids."

Const. Renee Souque-Frizzley, of the Turtle Mountain RCMP, said ecstasy
hasn't been confirmed as the cause of Panganiban's death.

Awaiting Results

"We're awaiting the results of the toxicology test," she said. "Ecstasy is
not made by a pharmacy so you're never really sure what you're taking."

Ecstasy is used by about 3% of the Winnipeg high school population, said
Laura Goossen, of the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba.

"That's fairly low but it's still a significant number," she said.

Goossen said ecstasy users report a feeling of "well being" from the drug.

"But one of the dangers of ecstasy is that it speeds up your body," she
said. Taking ecstasy could lead to dehydration, and kidney and liver
problems, she said.

Panganiban's death could be a wake-up call for kids, Goossen said.

"When you have a tragedy, people talk about it and that's probably a good
thing."

A viewing in honour of Panganiban is planned for Friday and Saturday night,
Angelito said. Her remains will be cremated.