The opioid crisis hit a mother in northwest Indiana particularly hard. Less than a year apart, she lost not one, but two adult children.
"My Taylor's death, that broke me. It broke me down to nothing," Nicole Skertich cried. "Then when I lost my son, that killed me. That killed me."
Mother's Day marks a painful reminder for Skertich, who is now trying to navigate life without her daughter and son.
Skertich invited NBC Chicago into her home in Crown Point, Indiana, to share her story and show pictures of her children, both of whom struggled with addiction and died just eight months apart.
"A lot of people think it's from an overdose, but really they're dying from just being poisoned," she said.
Taylor was 22. Kyle was 25.
"It just makes me sick," Skertich said, "sick that nothing is being done for any of the families, you know, because their lives matter."
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As Skertich relives the pain daily of losing Taylor and Kyle, she has vowed to raise awareness about fentanyl poisoning in her community.
"I want to see these dealers be held accountable, because they know what they're selling and they know that it's poison," she said.
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According to the Lake County Coroner’s Office, 43 overdose deaths have been reported so far this year, 29 of them fentanyl-related. Last year, the coroner's office said there were 170 overdose cases, 143 of them linked back to fentanyl.
"It’s scary," said Patty Stovall, who started Sounds of Sarah in memory of her daughter who died from fentanyl poisoning. "It's really scary what's happening just right here in our yard."
"We need to educate our community, of course, but our government needs to do something more," said Stovall.
Stovall is pushing for more access to Narcan in Lake County. Skertich hopes to reach more families on social media. Both moms are now united in their fight to end the crisis.
"I hope that other parents don't stay silent," said Skertich. "[Drug dealers] are poisoning people, and to me, that's murder."
Sounds of Sarah is hosting its second annual "We Fight Together" at Wicker Park in Highland, Indiana.
Organizers said the goal of the 3K Walk/Run event is to confront the stigma of addiction, raise awareness and to educate the public about the crisis. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
