OCALA, Fla. — For many, Black Balloon Day is a day of remembrance and celebration of lives lost to overdose.

Sadly, this day is all too familiar to more than 7,000 families in Florida who have lost a loved one to drug addiction.

Lisa Bolton understands the pain of losing a child to overdose all too well.

“I used to be the one that sat there and said this would never happen to my daughter,” said Bolton, who lost her daughter Kerri four years ago to heroin laced with fentanyl and carfentanil.

“We’re not meant to bury our children,” she added.

Now, Bolton has devoted her life to helping families who have lost loved ones to addiction. She founded The Dandelion Project, an organization that offers grief and bereavement counseling, partnering with Picking up the Pieces to provide support to those in need.

According to Overdose Lifeline, Americans are more likely to die from an opioid overdose than from a car accident or gun violence.

For Bolton, part of the healing process is remembering her daughter Kerri.

Instead of releasing black balloons, which her daughter would not have approved of, Bolton writes on rocks in memory of her daughter and other families who have lost loved ones to addiction.

“People have told me they know she [Kerri] is proud of me. I’d like to think she’s cheering me on up there. She knows I’m doing this for her. This is all for her,” said Bolton.

As Bolton writes her daughter's name on a rock, she feels the support of her community and even sees a female cardinal, a sign of loved ones visiting.

“If you see all of these rocks laid around or you see all these kids on a billboard or on a video, it drives the point home of how many we’re losing every day,” said Bolton.

For those struggling with addiction or who have lost a loved one to overdose, help is available. Contact Picking up the Pieces at 352-816-3793 for assistance.