DRUG OVERDOSE SPURS MISSION TO CHANGE LIVES

He may not have it easy, but he believes that everything happens for
a reason and it's this belief that provides him with the motivation
to awake with a positive outlook each day and to do what he does.

Jade Bell -- blind, paralyzed, wheel chair bound and unable to speak
as a result of a drug overdose -- now spends the majority of his time
travelling from school to school to share a message he hopes will
deter children from following the same path he took in life.

Bell was in Yorkton last week to share his story with students at Dr.
Brass School.

While he cannot speak per se, Bell relays his words through the use
of morse code and a special computer which translates head tapping
motions into words as well as a synthesized voice.

It took him 10 painstaking weeks to put together his presentation and
once on stage most children appear apprehensive about what they are
about to experience. However -- witty, with all cognitive skills
intact -- it doesn't take Bell long to reach students and by the end
of his unique presentation, most can't wait to approach him to shake
his hand or to ask questions.

Now 32, it was in August of 1997, at the age of 22 when Bell's life
would forever be altered.

He was bright, handsome, popular and athletic and about to embark on
a career in the film industry -- he had everything going for him --
yet instead of seeking out help, or finding alternative ways to cope
when things didn't go his way, Bell turned to alcohol and drugs.

When he was high, he says, he felt like he was on top of the world --
fearless, invincible -- but today he knows he could never have been more wrong.

Yet it was those feelings that kept him not only using, but wanting
more, needing more. Bell became addicted to cocaine and heroine and
would even steal to feed his habit -- all the while trying his best
to hide what he was doing to the outside world. But one can only do
that for so long.

In August of 1997, Bell took his bad habit to the limit. After
consuming copious amounts of alcohol with friends he then proceeded
to "shoot up" with a deadly mix of heroin and cocaine, causing him to
collapse to the floor.

Fifteen full minutes of oxygen deprivation to his brain later, and
Bell was in a coma for one month. When he awoke, his world was changed forever.

The young man who had a promising, bright future ahead of him, could
no longer speak, walk, or see and was left totally dependent on 24
hour a day, seven day a week care.

"I felt in a way that I can't expect anybody to understand or grasp," he says.

A full year of rehabilitation ensued and Bell was told he would have
to live in an institution for life. His pain was almost unbearable
and at times he found himself wishing he hadn't pulled through his misfortune.

Yet day by day, week by week, Bell became stronger, more capable and
determined that what happened to him was not going to be in vain.

He is still dependent on care, but today, he lives on his own, with
the help of three constant care givers and travels the country taking
his message to others. "It's not an effort to put a scratch," he
says, "but a huge dent in an only growing epidemic that is plaguing
communities today."

It's a sad fact, but true.

When Bell spoke to students at Dr. Brass Elementary School in
Yorkton, he asked them -- some as young as 10 years old -- how many
knew of a person using heavy drugs. About three quarters, if not
more, of his audience rose their hands.

With that in mind, while some of what Bell has to say may come across
as harsh and to the point, his words speak of the reality of drugs
and what can happen if one chooses that path.

To anyone using, he doesn't hesitate to say, "Quit now before it's
too late because sooner than later you'll be lying in a box dead."

Offering no excuses, and accepting full responsibility for his own
choices, Bell says he is now on a life mission -- and it's one that
won't end "until all kids witness the horrors of heroine."

Since 1999, Bell has taken his presentation to more than 60,000
Canadian students. He feels if he can deter even just one individual
from a path of self destruction, his journey is worthwhile.

In addition to speaking with students, Bell also creates CD
compilations and writes poetry. He recently had a book published
called "Strength of Human Spirit."

To learn more about the newly published book or Bell and what he is
up to, visit his website: www.jadebell.ca.