Woman Initiates Black Balloon Day To Recognize Victims Of Drug Addiction
PEABODY (CBS) -- Lauren Hurley is on a mission.
Her brother-in-law, Greg Tremblay, a father of four, died on March 6th last year of a drug overdose.
"When it happens, it's a feeling you will never understand until it happens to you," she said.
Greg's daughter, Briana Tremblay says her father's passing is difficult.
"It's been a tough year at home and at school. I didn't realize how bad it was until my dad died," she says.
Lauren's brother, Sean Hurley, was also a drug addict but has been clean for more than a year. Now, Lauren and her mother Diane Hurley have decided to breathe new life in the battle against drug overdoses.
On Sunday, March 6 in honor of Greg, the Hurleys would like anyone who's been impacted by the drug epidemic to hang a black balloon in front of their homes and post on social media with #BlackBalloonDay.
"My mother and myself think it would be an amazing thing that if any person whose been affected by this, hung a black balloon outside their house just imagine how many black balloons you would see," she said.
Her cause is generating a lot of buzz on social media. More than 8,000 people have joined the cause.
Lauren and her mother hope one day March 6th will be recognized as Black Balloon Day across the world to raise awareness, bring people hope, and let them know they aren't alone.
"To show them they aren't the only people (that) lost a parent or (lost) their children. Every day this is happening," she says. "Even if one person sees a balloon and thinks 'I could be the person that someone could be hanging the balloon out for'...in my eyes we did something right."
