Barry

Topics: Alcohol Abuse/Binge Drinking 

 “On July 10^th, 2005 my 18-year-old son, Kevin, passed away due to alcohol poisoning.  My life changed forever on that day.  When Kevin passed away, part of me wanted to just sweep this under the rug, but I thought, what would I hope someone did if it happened to their kid?...and the answer was clear…get out and tell everyone what happened…let others learn from what happened to you.  At Kevins’ memorial I told everyone that “something very good” will come from this.  As a tribute to my son’s life, my family and I walked my son’s ashes from Gilbert, AZ to Kalispell, MT in 2007, as Montana was where I believe some of Kevin’s happiest times were.  Along the way, I shared the story about what happened to Kevin and raised awareness about the dangers of teenage alcohol use and binge drinking with thousands of teens and adults.  Today I continue to speak throughout schools about this topic, so that our community will not have to lose one more to an avoidable tragedy.”