Tulsa Moms Who Lost Children to Overdose Gathering on Mother’s Day

A group of Green Country moms will be getting together this Mother’s Day to remember their children. It's part of a nationwide event to raise awareness about drug overdoses and push for drug dealers to be prosecuted when someone dies. 

This event is meant to be a peaceful gathering, for mothers who have lost children to overdose.

Diane Searle won't let her daughter's life be forgotten.

"Funny, fun to be around. And we all miss her dearly,” Searle said.

Jillian was only 19 when she died of a heroin overdose in Tulsa.

Now, her mom has her pictures on display ready for Mother's Day, when Searle and other moms will take time to honor their children for an event called the "Rise Up Rally."

"We all will have a poster of our angel with their name on it, the age they were when they died,” Searle said.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics says in 2017, nearly 800 people died in the state because of a drug overdose. That's down from the year before, but still too many for Searle.

"We've got several families that their victims have been forgotten,” Searle said.

After her daughter's death, Searle met other moms in the Tulsa area who have lost children to overdose.

"We've got some wonderful mothers, a lot of support,” she said.

While it's a group she never thought she'd be a part of, she wants to welcome any other grieving mothers to join them this Sunday.

"We'll help them anyway we can. Sometimes just to be an ear to listen, and maybe just a hug that they need because they don't know what else to do,” Searle said.

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Mother's Day at the Guthrie Green. Searle said people will be wearing the color purple.