GLENS FALLS, N.Y. -- Bob Dean never thought he would share messages on the opioid and heroin epidemic. 

"This is kind of strange territory for me,” said Dean.

For Bob Dean, it all started with the tragic death of his brother Shawn Dean. In August 2016, Shawn Dean died of heroin overdose. He was 30 years old.

That was just the beginning of a difficult 17-month stretch for Bob. His dad died of cancer a few months later. Then earlier this month, Bob Dean's sister Angie Dean passed away after battling the same addiction as Shawn: heroin. 

"They didn’t want to be heroin addicts," Dean said. "They didn’t grow up saying 'yeah, I can't wait to try that.' It started with an illness with some pain that they had at some point.”

Bob Dean says both of his siblings were prescribed painkillers before switching to heroin. Since the deaths, Bob says he started to learn more about opioid and heroin addiction. 

Knowing the dangers of these drugs, Bob is now fighting back. As a teacher and coach at Queensbury High School, he wants his students and athletes to understand what impacts these drugs can have. 

“Both of my sister and brother are graduates of Queensbury like myself, and they walked those same halls,” Bob Dean said.

Bob Dean and his family are also organizing a walk at Glens Falls City Park on Angie's 41st birthday on February 16.

The goal is to raise awareness on heroin addiction and overdose. He also wants to continue the push for "Laree's Law," to hold dealers accountable. 

For Bob, this is all part of the healing process.

“We’re not hiding from this storm. We are the storm," Bob Dean said. "Our voices are going to echo across the country, and we’re going to be the first town to have success with this.”