My name is Misty Fetko. I am a registered nurse and mom of two. In 2003, I discovered my older son, Carl, unresponsive in his bedroom. He passed away that day from a lethal mix of drugs, including Fetanyl, a prescription narcotic; marijuana; and dextromethorphan (DXM), the active ingredient in many over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines.

The shock was sudden. I am an emergency room nurse. I had recognized signs of substance abuse in patients over the years. But never once did I realize that cough medicine abuse was possible, let alone that my son would be drawn to this dangerous behavior.

As a result, I’ve made it my mission to ensure that parents have all the information about cough medicine abuse that I unfortunately did not have. That’s why I’ve recently joined the Five Moms campaign, a national effort to encourage parents to get involved in the fight against cough medicine abuse.

During the month of October, Senators Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), Max Baucus (D-Montana), Richard J. Durbin (D-Illinois), Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Charles Schumer (D-New York), Jon Tester (D-Montana), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) have joined this fight by proclaiming October as National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month, calling on communities to come together and educate parents about the dangers of medicine abuse among teens.

According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, one in ten teens reports having abused OTC cough medicines to get high and 25 percent know someone who has tried it. And even more teens (one in five) report abusing prescription drugs. Yet as serious as this issue is, it is frequently overlooked.

During the month of October, the Five Moms are trying to educate as many people as possible about this very important issue. Please join our effort by sharing this critical information with as many moms as you can. You can find more information about this type of abuse, tips for talking with your teens, and warning signs to look out for on StopMedicineAbuse.org, the home of the Five Moms campaign, and on Facebook.

I would like to thank MomsRising.org for shedding light on this important issue, as well as each of you for helping me to ensure that Carl’s death did not happen in vain.