Article: He did overcome: one-time street kid and heroin addict John Turvey was a lifelong advocate for the poor.(THE RECORD)

DIED: Well-known activist and advocate for the street people of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside John W. Turvey, 61, of a muscle-wasting disease, in Comox, B.C., on Oct. 11. Born in Calgary, Turvey was adopted by a Chilliwack, B.C., family, but ran away from home when he was 13 and became a heroin addict. He managed to beat the habit in his early twenties and turned his life around as an advocate for the disadvantaged of Vancouver's Eastside skid row. He worked with street kids as a government social worker, and, having overcome addiction and life on the streets, he won their respect. He founded DEYAS, the Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society, in 1984 and served as its ...

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