NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — A Pasco County mother continues to bring awareness to the dangers of fentanyl after losing her son nearly four years ago.
Tammy Plakstis worked with Fentanyl Awareness Coalition and Rachel's Angels to get a billboard up in New Port Richey on U.S. Highway 19.
Her son's face is on the billboard, along with other people, who lost their life to fentanyl poisoning.
"It's just therapeutic for me. It helps with my grief," Tammy said. "It helps me spread awareness and I wish I had the information at the time when my son died because I felt like I was all alone."
Tammy's son, Dylan, died at the age of 29. She said a dealer in New York gave him cocaine, and it was laced with fentanyl.
The billboard states, "They will not be home for Christmas. Fentanyl destroys the holidays!"
"They're not going to be home for the holidays, so we'll have an empty chair at our table because we lost our loved ones," Tammy said.
In the past, Tammy has worked to get billboards up across the Tampa Bay area, including in Tampa.
She continues to bring awareness to the dangers of fentanyl. According to the Florida Department of Health, illegally made fentanyl is cheap and it's found in street drugs like heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana.
"My message is please be safe, don't take any pills from anyone if they're not from a pharmacy," Tammy said.
She is planning a rally on Saturday, Dec. 21. Other parents will join her. She will hand out Narcan or Naloxone.
"The parents have to do the advocating," Tammy said. "We're starting to get our voices heard. It took a lot of togetherness to do this."
