Family Wages War On Drugs After Son's Overdose, Advocating For NARCAN

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's a growing epidemic that's even hitting up scale communities. We're talking about opioid overdose.

I recently met a family who went through the horror of their son and brother losing his battle to addiction. Now, it's their turn to fight back.

"John was probably the funniest person in our family,"  said his sister Samantha, but only select memories bring smiles to the family now.

"You remember all the good times, of course when people pass on and you forget all the bad stuff," his mother said. "We haven't quite. I haven't forgotten the bad stuff."

John ended up distancing himself from his family during a dark time and the family found themselves doing the same, in hopes John would seek more help. He died a year ago January, at the age of 30.

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"To be honest, we didn't know much about addiction," his father Tad said. "We really didn't know, so why don't you stop!"

Much easier said than done.

John was a multi-sport athlete and three knee operations contributed to the constant use of pain killers and prescription opiods which led to heroin.

"The addiction is so strong its hard to get over," his father said.

"We can never get john back, but hopefully someone else will have the chance to stop the loss in their family," Samantha said.

That's why the Decker family is on a mission; a crusade to make a  life saving drug more accessible.

We're talking about NARCAN.  "Police in many communities have this," his father explained. Every EMT has it so when they show up and get called and somebody is there they can treat them with the shot and bring them back."

But it's not readily available in the city primarily due to a shortage of funds.

The Deckers are waging war on drugs. A portion of John's memorial fund has been dedicated to their cause. The family is also advocating for crowdfunding in addition to public finance.

The Deckers say John was an addict for years and that they believe if it were available, NARCAN could have saved his life.