Growing up, Jake Sefton was a “study bug” who would give his mom a back rub after a hard day at work. At 21, he was working as an RN in a Cincinnati hospital and seemed to be doing well in life.
“I thought, ‘Wow, this kid’s so easy to raise,’” his mom, Kim Sefton said.
That’s why when Jake didn’t show up to work last February and his dad found him dead in his apartment, his parents thought he had died from a seizure.
“It wasn’t like him to not show up, because he never missed any work,” Sefton said.
However, eight weeks later, reports revealed that Jake had died from a heroin overdose.
"There is no way I would ever think he'd use heroin,” Sefton said. “We had talked about it because there had been an epidemic. I watch the news; I know that. I watch the news every day like most people do, but I had no idea."
Eleven months later, it still feels like Jake died just yesterday, Sefton said.
She said she hoped other families hearing Jake's story would realize that their loved ones could be at risk for heroin, even when they seem to be succeeding at life.
“Investigate a little bit more, check out what's going on with [your children]," she said.
Click here for a list of resources to help get off heroin.
