Governor Andrew Cuomo is putting out new tools to combat what many are calling a heroin epidemic in New York State. Wednesday, new videos were released online to help educate about prevention and treatment. Time Warner Cable News' Emily DeFeciani has more.
She's spent sleepless nights at home wondering where her child could be. She's been in the ER praying that he survives.
"I was at work the one time I got a call that my son wasn't breathing in math class," Lisa Wickens-Alteri said.
Wickens-Alteri is the parent of a recovering heroin addict. She says it's a disease that could affect anyone at any time.
"Just one bad decision could end you up in a morgue," she said.
Cortney Lovell knows that one bad decision all too well.
"That's where it started for me," she said, "what I thought was just innocent experimentation."
At one point, Lovell was an honor student and varsity athlete. By age 19, she was a high school dropout and was incarcerated.
The stories are tough to share, but the message is worth it. That's why Lisa and Cortney are now part of Governor Andrew Cuomo's campaign to combat substance abuse. They are featured in two new videos released Wednesday by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse as part of the 'Kitchen Table Toolkit.'
"It's starting that dialogue between parents and young people, or teachers and coaches and their students about addiction and the progression of it," Lovell said. "Hopefully through that dialogue, we can prevent addiction from ever starting."
Another goal is to give hope to those struggling, that there is possiblity for recovery and a lifetime of opportunities to look forward to.
"I'm happy to say today he's smiling and he's one of my best friends," Wickens-Alteri said of her son.
"My life is beyond my wildest dreams," Lovell said. "I've gotten married. I bought a house. I have my second child on the way."