WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – A woman has put up a billboard in Watertown to make a public statement on a private situation. She blames a drug dealer for selling her daughter drugs which ended up killing her.
A little more than 2 years ago Tammy Plante was making posts on social media. But now you’ll find her photograph somewhere else – billboard on Court Street.
“Tammy was Beautiful. She was a beautiful person. Beautiful smile. She was sassy. She could be wild and cocky,” said Kathy Plante-Hunt, Tammy’s mother.
Tammy died as a result of a fentanyl overdose in 2021. The billboard is marked with Forever 37, the age she passed away. Her mother hopes by sharing her story, lives may be saved.
“I tried to keep my daughter alive long enough for me to get her to want to quit. She wanted to quit but the drug was so powerful she just couldn’t see past that next high,” said Plante-Hunt.
With the billboard, Plante-Hunt aims to highlight the human being behind drug addiction.
“I believe the Lord laid it on my heart to do this. I wanted to let people know that my daughter was somebody’s someone and that her life mattered,” she said.
While looking to raise empathy for addicts, Plante-Hunt hopes to see harsher punishments for drug dealers and a different approach toward helping those who use drugs.
“Instead of giving out free syringes and all of these fentanyl strips, we need to raise awareness in getting more inpatient rehab facilities created instead of enabling and facilitating the drug addiction,” she said.
And on the topic of raising awareness, she says she knows her daughter would be proud of her for trying to steer folks on a better path.
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