Opiate epidemic takes young lives … how can we help?

It has been almost one year since I lost my 24-year-old son, Hayes Hammerling, to an accidental opiate overdose, and I struggle each morning to get out of bed and find meaning in my life. I am sharing this story so that, perhaps, in some way, my journey and what I have learned may help save the lives of others like Hayes.

The opioid crisis has been raging for years, and new data paints a clear picture of how overdose rates have been increasing sharply throughout the pandemic, and we are losing too many lives. If I can help in some ways, so that no other mother has to experience this horrific loss, I want to do just that.