Man's Heroin Overdose Death Prompts Action From Grandparents
BURR RIDGE, Ill. (WBBM) -- The death of a 24-year-old Chicago area man due to a heroin overdose has prompted the victim's grandparents to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars for education and prevention projects.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Mary Frances Bragiel reports, Burr Ridge residents Roger and Nadeane Hruby have donated $340,000 to form the Reed Hruby Heroin Prevention Project with the goal towards stopping the growing trend of heroin use and death.
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"Reed's death changed our lives," Reed's aunt, Brenda Giesel, said in a news release. "Heroin addiction doesn't just affect the addict. It rips the fabric of the entire family. We are willing to share our tragedy in order to prevent just one child from using heroin."
Their grandson, Reed, died in 2008 from a heroin overdose.
A spokeswoman for the Robert Crown Center for Health Education ranks Chicago among the worst in the nation for heroin use.
The organization, which has partnered with the project believes it will help identify the factors that influence heroin use.
