Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Photo courtesy of Rickey Smiley
My son and eldest child, Brandon, lost his long battle with addiction to painkillers last January at the age of 32. Sadly, he’s one of the thousands of young people that succumbed to drug addiction in the past year. And it’s difficult to grasp that my son is part of a tragic statistic.
Brandon was one of the first true loves of my life. From him I learned an abundance of important qualities: how to be more patient, how to love deeply, and how to be more affectionate. He showed me that we must keep pushing ahead in life—no matter what.
I am inspired by how hard my son always tried. He was always open about his struggle and worked tirelessly to overcome it. My own father had his battles with addiction, and while I know the disease can be hereditary, I was hoping that it would spare my children.