Community Gathers For New Film On Life And Tragic Death of Nantucket's Quinn McCusker
Jason Graziadei •
More than 300 island residents gathered this morning at The Dreamland to watch the premiere of the short film "The Boy Next Door - Breaking The Stigma" on the life and tragic death of Nantucketer Quinn McCusker.
McCusker died of an overdose on Christmas Day in 2018 at the age of 27. The film, which features his family and friends, is intended to break the stigma of addiction and the barriers for seeking help.
It was presented on Tuesday by Dr. Tim Lepore's Addiction Solutions of Nantucket, with support from The Community Foundation For Nantucket and NCTV.
“Awareness and taking action to seek help are the first important steps to battling Substance Use Disorders (SUD)," Dr. Lepore said. "This film is intended to raise appreciation for addiction as an illness rather than a weakness, and to enlighten viewers about the fact that addiction does not discriminate. With 1 in 14 Americans touched by addiction, we cannot look the other way.”