NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) calls fentanyl the deadliest drug threat to our country.
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The drug is also on the radar of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who's shining a light on the opioid crisis.
One Newport News mother who lost her daughter to fentanyl shared her story with News 3.
"I never really got an opportunity to say goodbye to Kaitlyn," said Lisa Reed.
"I love you," are the words Reed wishes she told her daughter the last time they spoke.
"Tell the people you love, every chance you get, you love them," said Reed.
Reed lost her daughter, Kaitlyn, to fentanyl on January 15, 2021. She was 23.
"She was a baby, and she had babies," said Reed.
As her family continues to grieve, along with her two girls who are now 5 and 6, Sen. Kaine calls fentanyl deaths a, "national security threat."
Kaine and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, along with Reps. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), are sponsoring the bipartisan Disrupt Fentanyl Trafficking Act to combat the deadly drug.
"We want to push the DOD front and center, and then make it a centerpiece of the U.S.-Mexico military relationship," said Kaine.
According to the CDC, fentanyl deaths in 2022 were the highest record ever, killing nearly 200 Americans a day.
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To cope, Reed remembers her daughter at Peninsula Memorial Park where her urn lays beside photos of her.
"I miss everything about her. We've had two birthdays without her," said Reed.
Reed also shared a message to prevent other parents from being in her shoes.
"I think the big thing for parents to tell their kids is to not trust any drug that does not come from a pharmacy," said Reed.
