A Flower Mound woman whose son lost the battle with addiction went to the White House, where President Donald Trump addressed the opioid epidemic Thursday.
President Donald Trump suggested harsher penalties for drug dealers Thursday, praising countries who carry out the "ultimate penalty" for drug traffickers.
The comments were made at a White House summit on opioids, and among those in attendance was a North Texas woman whose son died after an overdose in 2010.
"We're going to have to be very strong on penalties," Trump said, before thanking those in attendance.
That included Kathy O'Keefe, of Flower Mound, whose son, Brett, died nearly eight years ago.
"It's very encouraging to have the whole conversation going," O'Keefe said. "How this whole thing gets resolved or worked on, that's pretty big."
O'Keefe turned her own family's sorrow into action. Following her son's death, she formed the group Winning The Fight, which assists North Texas families battling addiction and loss.
She was chosen to take part in the White House summit on opioids after writing a letter to the president last month — part of a nationwide campaign to bring awareness to the drug problem.
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O'Keefe applauds the White House and the attention to the epidemic, which took her son at just 18 years old.
"If we don't talk about it, nothing gets done," she said. "We speak about it, things can get done, and collectively we will bring together a nation, because a nation is mourning right now."
