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Mother Lost Two Sons To Opioid Abuse In Same Night, Shares Story With Thousands Of Teens

CBS (Chicago) - An Indiana mother lost two young sons to drugs and is now turning turning her grief into action. Becky Savage shared her story with thousands of teens Wednesday at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont for the We Day event.

We Day is a day to celebrate 15,000 students from all over the state who've earned their ticket to the event by spending countless hours volunteering.

Part of the event is a celebration, but part of the event is dedicated to talking about making a difference. During the event, the lights dimmed and the students sat in silence as they watched the tragic story of a family from an area near South Bend.

"By the time paramedics got there, both boys had passed away," said Becky Savage in a video presentation. "One bad decision ended Nick and Jack's life."

Becky Savage spoke about her two oldest sons who overdosed on opioids on the same day in the Summer of 2015. Both deaths were ruled accidental and were related to acute alcohol and opioid injection.

"It was something that we never thought our kids would participate in because we didn't know anything about it," Savage stated.

Becky Savage and her family started the 525 Foundation to honor her sons and have collected hundreds of pounds of pills to help curb opioid misuse and abuse.

"Together, it ends with us," said Savage, quoting this year's message at the We Day event.

Savage Family
Becky Savage lost two sons, Nick and Jack, on the same night due to an opioid overdose. Now she's turnign her grief into action. (Credit: CNN)

Savage is joining with Walgreens to make an even bigger impact.

"By telling their story, as tragic as it is, they're still able to make a difference in the lives of other people," Savage explained.

Two Sophomores at Chiarts School say they're touched by Savage's family story, saying it opened their eyes to the opioid epidemic plaguing the country. "You see stuff like that in movies, but you don't really see the heart of it unless its real people telling real stories," said Lisa Palmer.

"It's affecting our age group," said Sophomore Jenna Lozano.

Savage tells CBS 2 News that she wants other parents to have tough conversations with their kids about opioid abuse and to throw away any medicines you may have in your home that you aren't using.

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