ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Patti and Ellis Fitzwalter once held balloon releases to honor the memory of their son, Michael Fitzwalter, who died in 2014 from a heroin overdose.

“He’s the reason we do what we do,” Patti said.

The couple created H.E.A.L. STOP HEROIN to raise awareness about overdoses and to educate parents and children.

With the school year just underway, the Fitzwalters encourage parents to talk to their kids about overdose awareness.

“We don’t want to see other people suffer the way we have,” Patti said.

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Seven years ago, the couple decided to honor their son’s memory with an annual blood drive. They discovered balloon releases can cause problems.

“We wanted to do something that was going to actually help

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