Las Vegas mom puts up PSA billboards after losing son to fentanyl overdose

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - More Las Vegans are dying of fentanyl overdoses than ever before.

In 2020, 193 people died in Clark County, a nearly 200% increase from the year before. In the first six months of 2021, 146 Southern Nevadans died of the same thing.

Kristina Perkins lost her 17-year-old son, Gio, to the silent killer, after the teen unknowingly consumed a pain pill laced with fentanyl.

Still grieving the unimaginable loss, Perkins started Gio’s World, she created Gio’s World, a non-profit aimed at raising awareness. She wants to prevent the same tragedy from happening to other local families.

Friday, Oct. 22 would’ve been Gio’s 19th birthday. To mark the day, she and her husband paid for 10 PSA billboards to go up around Las Vegas. Perkins’ hopes they’ll help spark a life-saving conversation.

The family has already paid to have the billboards up for six months, but their goal is to keep them up for a year.

To help cover the costs, Perkins launched a GoFundMe.

If you know someone that’s struggling with addiction, click here for local resources that may be able to help.

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