For a Maryville mom, May 12th, 2014 will never pass without a flood of emotions taking over her mind. Jan McCoy lost her 22-year-old son, Dane, to a heroin overdose four years ago.
"It's a day that you'll never forget," McCoy said. "The first year I barely got out of my house."
Out of nowhere, her star football player and honor roll student son became addicted. Until this day, Dane's room in his house was basically untouched. It helps his mom on the days that his absence weighs too heavy.
"Cleaning out his closet, I did do that. It's just the actual room with his baseballs and every home run he hit. I kept those balls. Somehow throwing them away just doesn't seem right. So, I'm not there yet," McCoy said.
Since Dane's death, his mom has made it a point to help other families dealing with addiction.
McCoy partnered with Celebrate Recovery Maryville to host an addiction seminar called 'Hijacked - How Addiction Rewires the Brain and Poisons the Spirit.'
"I felt it was important, because when my son was in active addiction I really didn't know what was going on," McCoy said.
The addiction seminar provided pastors, advocates and a pharmacy owner offering advice for people looking for answers when it comes to addiction.
"It was a lot of work, but they say if you help just one person it's worth it. I want to help more than just one. We're here for you," McCoy said.
McCoy's advice to anyone struggling is to find a support group, and she's found that helping others is a great way to cope as well.
There were also several resources like the Helen Ross McNabb Center and the Metro Drug Coalition offering advice.