nbc's andraya thomas cline joins us more on what could be done. >> reporter: hopefully this helps people talk about it more. take a look behind me. the ben franklin bridge, it was lit up to purple, but it's changing to blue now to honor the lives lost in this growing crisis. >> if you are hurting, we hurt with you. >> reporter: it's not an event you want to attend. sadly so many do. and the community is getting larger. >> so many deaths. it's catastrophic. parents are burrying their children at a rapid rate. >> reporter: people gathered to have a vigil for the first ever regional opioid losses. >> it hurts, but it's good to see so many come together. >> reporter: it was supposed to be the prime of their lives. >> oh, he had a smile that could light up any rooms. he was just an amazing man. >> reporter: but the addiction took over, and it did not discriminate showing up in loving homes and even wreaking havoc for miss usa. >> my dreams come true. i get everything on the outside that i think is going to fix me, and i never felt more alone. >> reporter: but here pashane w given a voice. >>