Brandon was the first born of three sons. He was so fun to be around and I loved being his mom. I was lucky enough to be able to stay home with the boys and motherhood became my all time favorite job.

Brandon tried multiple sports and developed a passion for football in middle school. He would eventually become the quarterback for his high school team and looked forward to playing in college. Unfortunately, Brandon tore his ACL and meniscus in fall training for his freshman year of college. After the surgery he developed a dependency on Percocet. He was unable to return to football due to a fear of re-injury. This lead to a deep depression and his drug use spiraled out of control. I tried to convince him that he needed help but he wouldn’t admit he had a problem. He was 21 years old and considered an adult and I no longer had a say in anything he did. His addiction began in 2017 and he died on 10/16/19. There was barely any time to do anything.

My husband and I both grew up in households with addicted parents and
we worked very hard to break that cycle. The fact that we were unable to do that just breaks my heart even more.

I miss everything about Brandon. He was a genuinely good person and I had no idea how many lives he had touched until he died. He had an amazing spirit and a dazzling smile. He was my mini-me and I’m just lost without him. Even though I’m blessed with two more boys nothing will ever fill this void.

Submitted by Tina Bell, Mother