Woman whose heroin overdose photo went viral shares good news 3 years later

Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

An Indiana woman who was found passed out in a car from a heroin overdose has a positive update to share three years later, along with a message about the critical role Narcan played in her journey to sobriety.

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Erika Hurt's story was spotlighted in a post on The Addict's Diary Facebook page. She writes, "Millions saw me overdose after a photo taken of me by a police officer went viral. None of those people have seemed to have time to reach out and check on me, so here is an update: Today I celebrated three years clean and my son gets to have his mommy back. How about you make that go viral!"

Accompanying the post is a photo of Hurt, slumped over in a car after overdosing on heroin in 2016. Her infant son, Parker, was in the back seat. An officer took the photo of Hurt and the Hope Police Department shared the image on social media to raise awareness of the opioid epidemic. Hurt was sentenced to six months at Bartholomew County Jail. She said it was her son's negative reaction when visiting her in jail that convinced her to get sober.

In the new photo accompanying her Facebook post, Hurt smiles for the camera with her son. Hurt holds a sign that reads, "Narcan saved my life."

Hurt's update has gone viral, generating over 135,000 likes on Facebook and over 100,000 shares. She shared additional images celebrating her 3-year sober anniversary on her personal Facebook page and explained in greater detail how Narcan helped save her life.

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