A grieving woman has revealed how she took her late sister's ashes to Las Vegas in a bid to celebrate what would be her 21st birthday.

Brianna Payne from Arizona, US, lost her sister in May 2020 to accidental fentanyl poisoning after Erin, who had just turned 18, unknowingly purchased medication laced with the opioid.

Having promised each other to "travel the world together", the 26-year-old set out on a journey to make this happen for her sister – and says she saw “signs” that she was right there with her along the way.

Despite the tragic circumstances, Brianna, who runs a production studio called Buddycap, says travelling with her sister's urn was "fun" and has revealed big plans to continue taking her to new places.

The influencer, who has over 10,000 followers on Instagram (@briipayne), is sharing her story to spread awareness about the dangers of opioids.

"The trip to Vegas was amazing," Brianna told NeedToKnow.co.uk.

"I went for what would have been Erin's 21st birthday, April 17th and it was also my friend’s 30th birthday so I got to celebrate with her too, which helped me get through the five days I was there.

"There was even a moment where one of mine and Erin's songs came on and my friend walked in and saw me crying — she had actually walked in to ask me if there was a song I wanted to listen to, that one gave me goosebumps.

"We even got to go to the biggest Denny's in the world.

“Denny's was Erin's favourite!

"I even played a few slots and used the urn to press the button."

For Brianna, who wants to include her sister in all aspects of her life, taking her urn along for trips feels natural.

To date, she’s taken her sister to Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and more – fulfilling their sister mission to see as much of the world as possible, even after death.

And the compact size of the urn makes it perfect for travelling.

She said: "I have been doing this pretty much since she passed away.

“We have been to Puerto Rico, chased waterfalls all around Oregon and Washington, Colorado and tons of other places.

"I plan to continue to do this and my main goal is to bring her to Romania with our cousin, who actually had a trip planned to Romania two months after she passed away.

"I know that she would appreciate it, and every time I go on a trip she sends me signs to show that she is still with me."

Despite some people online questioning why Brianna would want to travel with her sister's urn, she says she receives a lot of support from her family.

And Brianna is sure that Erin would have loved it.

She said: "My mother loves and admires that I do this.

"We plan to take a trip to Washington D.C. to the DEA memorial since my sister is displayed on the wall along with others who have also lost their lives to fentanyl poisoning.

"My sister was the funniest person I ever knew so having fun is the best way to cope because that is what she would want.

"Now, I want to use my voice and platform to help spread fentanyl awareness."

After posting a video sharing Erin's story, that gained 380 likes, commenters were struck with sympathy and were quick to share their condolences.

Lina said: "Thank you for spreading awareness and I’m sorry for your loss."

Shayna wrote: "The strength it must of took you to post this." [sic]

Tammi said: "This is a tragic and terrifying thing! I’m so sorry for your loss thank you so much for spreading awareness."

"Wow so sorry about your sister. Thank you for spreading awareness I had no idea," wrote Millie.

Rich added: "Continued healing love and light."

ENDS

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