BUTTE — A Montana mother who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose nearly a year ago in Butte is now joining thousands of families from across the country in New York City for National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
Montana mom fights fentanyl, watch here:
Heather Holland's 33-year-old son, Aaron, died of a fentanyl overdose on September 8th, 2025. In the year since, she has worked to honor his life and raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.
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"I'm probably not the only mom that wants their son remembered. Everybody goes on with their life. The biggest fear you have when you lose a child is that your child will be forgotten," Holland said.
Over the past year, Holland founded a nonprofit, wrote a children's book, and created an app for grieving parents that is accessible worldwide. The app caught the attention of the founder of Facing Fentanyl, the organization behind events across New York City for National Fentanyl Awareness Day.
"It's a living memorial. It's a living way to just sort of document emotions," Holland said.
The app goes beyond memorializing loved ones. Contributions from families and friends of those lost to fentanyl will help track overdose deaths, providing data in the fight against the drug.
"We're hoping that this is going to help us to get more accurate numbers to see what drug is spiking at the time," Holland said.
On August 20th, a Butte man was the last of 13 defendants to be sentenced in an international drug smuggling case that brought drugs to Arizona, Texas, Washington, and Montana. Holland said she has compassion for those being prosecuted because some of them are also addicts, but she is clear about the impact.
"They're just making the problem bigger. But we also have to fight inside," Holland said.
While in New York City, Holland met with law enforcement officers on the front lines of fighting drug distribution. One agent told her the fentanyl crisis is like a war without bombs.
"They're killing us from inside, and I agree with that. They send that in, and we just kill each other. We sell it to each other. We go to a party and share it with somebody and we just need to bring awareness. You cannot trust anything. If your parent didn't give it to you. If it did not come from a doctor or a grocery store, don't take it," Holland said.
When asked what Aaron would think of her efforts, Holland did not hesitate.
"He would probably tell me, you know, calm down, Mom. But I can't; he's my boy, and I'm gonna fight," Holland said.
I have been following Holland's story since the deaths of five Butte community members in a deadly batch of fentanyl approximately a year ago.
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