Published: 06/22/2026 | Author: Terri

The fentanyl crisis has left a trail of grieving families across Louisiana, and some of them now turn that grief into prevention. To be clear, the Bayou State already offers many programs to combat substance abuse, from neighborhood Narcotics Anonymous chapters to modern inpatient medical programs. Despite the many successes, the toll remains large.

Now, individuals and families fight back. Mo’s Movement, founded by a mother who lost her daughter to a fentanyl overdose, aims to help other families tell their stories, push for awareness and point people toward opioid addiction help before another life is lost.

A Mother’s Loss Behind the Movement

Angela Shockley started Mo’s Movement in 2024 after her daughter Morgan, known as “Mo,” died of a fentanyl overdose in March 2023 at age 31. Over nine years, Morgan went through 17 inpatient treatment programs before her death. Shockley founded the group as a drug prevention and awareness program for families who’ve lived through the same loss. She works alongside Janet Daigle, whose daughter Gabrielle died of a fentanyl overdose in April 2024 at age 28.

Mo’s Movement comes at a time when the number of opioid deaths are waning, but the crisis is still far from over. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid far stronger than heroin. Officials have found fentanyl mixed into many street drugs, often without the user’s knowledge. 

Since such a small amount of fentanyl can kill, overdoses often happen fast. Naloxone, sold as Narcan in a 4 mg dose and Kloxxado in an 8 mg dose, can reverse an opioid overdose if given quickly. Users can find naloxone for free in many communities. Nevertheless, overdoses still happen. Each time, a family grieves.

The Empty Chair Project

One of the group’s most visible efforts is the Empty Chair Project. Here, volunteers set out one chair for each person who died of an overdose in a given parish or county over the past year. The chairs are decorated in purple, the color of drug awareness. 

In Tangipahoa Parish, 38 overdose deaths from the past year plus four confirmed in early 2026 added up to 42 chairs placed on the lawn of a chapel at the Rosaryville Retreat Center. At the site, filmmaker Glen Muse of Texas Pictures has been documenting parents’ stories to generate further awareness.

Signs of Progress in Hard-Hit Parishes

Both mothers describe how shame keeps people with a substance use disorder from getting help. Shockley pointed out that guilt and embarrassment remain the fastest ways to push someone back into active use. She also stressed that addiction is a medical condition, not a failure of willpower. Daigle recalled how some medical providers treated her daughter differently once they learned she used drugs, a reaction that can deepen isolation.

Some Louisiana communities now see fewer deaths. Washington Parish, once ranked among the highest in the country for overdoses per capita, recorded a drop to 41 deaths in 2024 and seven in 2025. In Tangipahoa Parish, Sheriff Gerald Sticker pointed to a 45% decrease in fentanyl-related deaths. Sticker also singled out programs like Operation Angel, which connects people with addiction to treatment instead of jail. Incarceration alone doesn’t solve the problem.

Help for Opioid Addiction in the USA

Recovery from opioid addiction takes many forms, including medication for opioid use disorder, counseling, and peer support such as Narcotics Anonymous. For families and individuals looking for a next step, NA meetings offer free, ongoing peer support, and many areas now host both in-person and virtual options.

Getting started is simple. Just call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) or browse our directory for NA locations anywhere in the country alongside other treatment programs.