Hi KnoxViews readers. My name is Katie Allison Granju. I live in Knoxville with my family, and I recently lost my teenage son to a drug-related brain injury. It was a horrible tragedy that unfortunately, is all too familiar to a great many Knoxville families.

I want to let everyone in our community know about an important opportunity for local families, teachers and others to learn more about the prescription and opiate drug overdose epidemic that is killing so many East Tennesseans, especially our teenagers and young adults.

On Wednesday, October 27, at 7:00 pm EST, WBIR-TV will broadcast a 30 minute, commercial-free special on the dangers of prescription and opiate drug abuse. The special illustrates the problem by telling our son's story of addiction and death very honestly and openly. WBIR is not receiving any advertising or other revenue for producing and airing this program. As a former employee of WBIR, and as a parent who makes her home in the community that the station serves, I am very grateful for WBIR's willingness to extend significant effort and resources on this critically important project.

If you live in the WBIR viewing area, you will be able to watch the WBIR special on Channel 10 at 7pm EST on October 27 (that's Wednesday). However, even if you live elsewhere, you can watch the special online, in its entirety at WBIR.com on the same night it is broadcast on TV.

WBIR hopes to help our entire community understand in a more personal way how deadly prescription drug abuse is, and how it is killing so many of our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, friends, coworkers and neighbors.

At the end of the special, there will be clear information presented for viewers who decide that they or a loved one needs help NOW with addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Please plan to watch "Henry's Story" on WBIR-TV/Channel 10 or online at WBIR.com with your children, and please talk with them afterward. And if you can, please let others know about the upcoming special.

If enough people see Henry's Story, I truly believe that lives will be saved.

Thanks very, very much.

-Katie, Henry's mama