WAUKESHA COUNTY - The mother of an overdose victim found herself teaching teens on their way to Summerfest a vital but painful lesson about drug use.
A trip to Summerfest from Delafield on a Thursday night was something Linda Lenz said she and her husband were looking forward to until she boarded a bus to get there and the conversation she overheard while seated made her uneasy.
“I heard six teenagers, about 15-years-old discussing where to hide their pills," Lenz said.
"So that when they went through summer security they wouldn’t get caught," she continued.
According to Lenz, those teens looked innocent enough. Too young to get away with drinking beer at Summerfest, and speculates that’s why they were making other plans.
“[They discussed whether it] would it be better to put [the pills] in a package of gum," Lenz said.
"Or in the bottom of a wallet under the money, where wouldn’t they look," she continued.
Once they arrived at the grounds, just before exiting the bus, Lenz said the death of her own son as a result of a drug overdose in 2013 prompted her to say something.
“I said to the kids, turn around and look at my face," Lenz said.
"They all did and they were shocked, and I said I lost my son. Don’t take those pills," she continued.
Lenz says when she looked those teens in the eye, she saw her son, Tony, and she believes her words truly made a difference.
What's more, making a difference when it comes to drug addiction and overdose is something Lenz tries to do each day. In fact, shortly after the death of her son, she founded the non-profit, Stop Heroin Now.
