BOARDMAN, Ohio - A Boardman father will put a face on how the heroin epidemic in our state is hurting families while attending Governor John Kasich's State of the State address Monday night.

Angelo Martino Senior is invited as the governor's guest in Medina. His recent speech about the dangers of drugs at Boardman High School garnered the governor's attention.

Martino lost his son A.J, Angelo Martino, Jr., to drugs in 2012. Martino says A.J. started taking prescription pain killers following a car accident and his addition to drugs, including heroin, spiraled from there.

"The hardest part was realizing your worst nightmare, when you go to wake up your son and you realize that your worst fear had been realized and that your son is dead," Martino says.

Martino says his son had a big heart and was raised in a good home. He now spends time talking to local students about the dangers of drugs.

"I could just go in a corner and cry the rest of my life, I cry inside everyday, I miss him, but my goal is to make a small difference," Martino says.

Drug overdose deaths are the leading cause of accidental death in Ohio, surpassing car crashes. Martino says he doesn't want other parents to go through the same trauma and heartache that he went through.