The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

B. Hutch.... 💔 How could anyone ever begin to describe the deep ache from a loss like this? There are no words that could even come close to touching the pain. I could never put in words how upset and sorry and angry that this happened to him. Never would I have imagined this. Someone so selfless and full of life taken away so unexpectedly and so tragically. He did not deserve it, no one does. He deserves to still be smiling that heartwarming smile. He deserves to be looking forward to the rest of his life. He deserves a second chance and God I prayed so damn hard, against all the odds, that he would get it. I will never understand why he didn't. I am going to miss him, our random conversations, our random snapchats, and definitely our laughs; he always had a happiness about him that was so contagious. If you saw that smile no doubt you were smiling, too. Never a dull moment with him. Just so many memories instantly taken for granted because I thought there would be more. This is a loss I can't get over, just as I know it is for everyone who cared about him and loved him. Nothing can ever prepare us for losing someone we love- NOTHING! Especially in this way. Overdosing needs a voice. So many hopes ruined... So many dreams crushed... So many lives taken. This has got to stop. I want to be a voice. Did you know that 130 Americans die A DAY from opioid overdoses? That is 130 TOO MANY. Brandon now falls in that 130 and I am not okay with that! When my heart isn't aching, I am fed up and angry. I am so sick of seeing people in and out of jail, people turning into what they were never meant to be, people losing everything, and I am damn near exhausted to my core watching people die because of this evil poison. So heroin, I'm calling you out. You are despised by me. I hate you. I hate everything about you. I hate how you take people away. I hate how you ruin the lives of not only the user but also the lives of people who don't even use. I hate how you take children from parents and parents from children. I hate how easy it is for you to get away with murder. I hate how you're NEVER held accountable. I hate the people who sell you to make a quick dollar; the ones who don't care if it kills someone because their next customer is already on their way to get another bag. I hate how you tempt the greatest of souls. I hate that you took my friend who was doing so damn good without your grip around him. I hate you, heroin. I absolutely hate you. I want my friend back. And since that isn't possible, I'm coming for you. Brandon's story will be heard. It will inspire and it will inform. It will show the beauty of recovery and the ugliness of relapse. It will prove that sobriety is possible and why it's so important to maintain it. HIS STORY WILL BE HEARD. It's seriously time to reduce the stigma of drug related deaths and raise awareness because it's K.I.L.L.I.N.G my generation. It's killing my friends- OUR friends!!!! Ain't it time to stand up and stop being silent??? Brandon's death has literally given me a voice, let it give you one. I already have so much underway and I am ready to stand up for this.

I love you, Brandon. I am so grateful to have had a friend like you. I'm doing this for you. "Goodbyes hurt the most when their story wasn't finished..."

Alex did not set out to change our lives, but his tragic and sudden passing challenged us all to be better, and take care of those around us. He is eternally our guiding light; forever loved, forever missed.

Our Joe struggled with addiction most of his teenage life into his adult years. The turning point was when he hurt his back at work and was given pills for pain. That's when things got bad. He continued to take them and became addicted. Then he lost his job and couldn't afford the pills anymore and someone got him to take heroin. Then the nightmare got bad. He lost his home he worked so hard to get. He lost everything. But he tried to get sober, he relapsed at least ten times, and went through withdrawls on his own. He struggled to get sober but on August 20, 2017, I not only lost my son, but my best friend. He was kind and funny and a gentle soul who would help anyone.

The worst part is he also left behind two kids who miss him dearly. Our hearts are forever broken and our lives are void. Nothing is the same. God Joe, I miss you so much. For anyone that does not understand, don't judge. These are our sons , daughters, mom's and dads, brothers and sisters. No one ever sets a goal in life to say when they grow up they want to become addicted to drugs. Have compassion to at least understand and learn before you judge. They all deserve that. We All Love and Miss you so much JOE. ♥️

James Robert Ruggiero, 30, of Waverly, Pennsylvania, was taken too soon from this world – he died July 31, 2019. He was the son of Dr. Dominic Ruggiero and Aracely Ruggiero. He attended Abington Heights High School and graduated in 2008. He was an awesome life guard, great diver, an avid extreme skier, mountain biker, and rock climber. James was a beautiful free-spirit whose laugh and smile always came easy.

James found his life’s passion several years ago. His passion was to rescue people in need and be active in the beautiful outdoors. He became an experienced outdoor teacher with a tremendous thirst for adventure and outdoor activities. James attended NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) in 2017 and 2018, where he received certifications on things like avalanche training, high angle rock rescue, and swift water rescue medicine. James was also a certified wilderness emergency medical technician. He truly loved to help people.

James was currently enrolled at Western Colorado University majoring in Outdoor Education. This brought together everything he was passionate about – he spoke of the stunning outdoors of Crested Butte, the friends he had made, and his training with the Western Mountain Rescue team where he found opportunities to help people in need. He was excited to go back to school and he closed out his first semester with a 4.0.

He used every school break to spend time with his family. He lived every moment like it was his last, giving freely of his time and bringing a smile to everyone he encountered. Unfortunately, James struggled with heroin addiction for many years but in the past three, James had seen a remarkable recovery. Friends, family, and teachers witnessed an outstanding leader, a compassionate friend, a selfless giver, and a joyful spirit. He overcame so much and, in recent years, created such incredibly close bonds with so many. This makes his relapse all the more tragic.

James is survived by his father Dr. Dominic Ruggiero; his sister Michelle and brother Dominic. He also leaves behind his grandmothers, Maria Victoria Suarez and Gilda Ruggiero. He is also survived by several aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and nieces who are heartbroken in this time of loss.

Kenneth was a smart, caring, and loving person. His addiction started when he got a sports injury and was given opioids for the pain. Kenneth lost his father to colon cancer when he was in his second year at Penn State. Kenneth was a good student, graduated with honors but then came home and got lost. He was very depressed but didn't think a therapist would help him. We as a family struggled along with his addiction for over two years. Rehab after rehab and then a recovery house. The disease was too strong for him to fight. He was kicked out of the recovery house for using and I could not let him go to the streets. He came back home and after just a few days the fentanyl in the heroin killed him. I found him around 6am on a Tuesday morning. My worst fear came true. I am heartbroken along with his other two siblings. The thoughts of him never getting married, having a family, or growing old is sometimes too hard for me to bear. Kenneth you are loved and missed by everyone that knew you.

Pauly was truly one of a kind. He would always listen to what I would have to say. He truly did care about others and put his needs aside for someone else’s. There’s an emptiness in my life and that feeling will never go away. I miss him so much and I would do anything to have one last moment with him. I miss you and love you so much Pauly. You will be forever missed - Your brother Chris.

Rest in Eternal Peace, Nathaniel James Himes, 27. Nathan was born July 21, 1991 in Charlotte, NC, and entered the arms of Jesus just shy of his 28th birthday, on July 19, 2019. The twinkle in his eyes shined bright during his short life and left us with memories of a free spirited soul, a simple, polite, and humble man who was a loyal friend who loved deeply.

Nathan loved motocross, the outdoors, country music, old rock and roll, playing the guitar, and fishing. He had an inquisitive nature for how things worked and took things apart to help figure them out. We called him Nate-man, he lived large and could be the most resourceful and tenacious person in the room.

Nathan fiercely loved his brother, Adam, and longed to make him proud. He encouraged him to get good grades, treat people with respect, and to be a gentleman. Nate loved to work hard and was a man of few words.

Loved by many, Nathan is survived by his Grandmother Chris Jayne, his parents, Jeffrey Himes, Tracy Himes and Pamela Eggert, his "surrogate" parents Aunt Patty and Uncle Jay, his brother Adam Himes, several aunts, uncles, and cousins. Nate's legacy will be honored at a "Celebration of Life" on August 3, 2019. He will be laid to rest among family at The Church of the Resurrection in Greenwood, SC.

Nicky was an amazing child to raise, an old soul from the beginning. He spoke in sentences at nine months and walked at 10 months. He was brilliant, beautiful, and so very kind. He was overweight as a child and some kids were complete jerks to him--although he had his defenders. I think that because of this he felt such empathy for others. From elementary school on his teachers would tell me they would discuss higher learning the other kids just didn’t comprehend.They loved talking to him. The summer before ninth grade Nicky decided to change his appearance and to get healthy. That summer he lost 120 pounds and taught himself Japanese! But he started to get too thin and we saw signs of a problem. He went to therapy and his weight leveled out to a healthy weight but he would always struggle with body issues. We later found out through counseling that he was dealing with some gender issues. He entered high school and the trouble began. It was identified--he found that drugs made him feel better. His strong science/chemistry interest proved to be less of a good thing. We went through all the horrible stuff that families of a sick kid does, the ODs, the rehabs (which, at the time was so bad for adolescents as they just didn’t have the right tools or many options). The fights, distrust, all that. Although he couldn’t bring himself to steal from us, he was relentless when he wanted something and that stubbornness was horrifying. Nick made friends with everyone and would go out of his way for a friend. He had friends that were straight and those that weren’t throughout his life and separated those from each other. As his boss and friend spoke of him at his memorial, he would be great for a while and then just go dark. He lived with his sweet non-addicted girlfriend and kept dealers and substances separate. Except really can that ever be? I don’t know how many emergency rooms and psych hospitals I’ve sat in and visited but the chaos for all of us got extremely difficult. It was excruciating to see his pain. He couldn’t stand hurting himself or us. As you can see, the struggles were there early. It's the chicken or egg thing which came first--depression/then drugs then depression because of drugs?He had a small, stupid court case and I went with him. It was dismissed. We went out to lunch to celebrate. He looked healthy, strong, and softly beautiful at the same time that day so I snapped a pic. I'm so happy to have it. Although we always knew that messing with opiates--especially now with the fentanyl problem --could end him we hoped that it wouldn’t. I call it chemical Russian Roulette. Anyone misusing chemicals understands in the back of their mind that they can die from them, consciously or unconsciously. Understanding the risks. On Friday October 26, 2018 Nicky and his girlfriend had lunch together and made dinner and weekend plans. She spoke with him around 3:45 and would be home about 5. She walked in the door and she immediately tried Narcan, called 911 and attempted CPR to no avail. The police showed up immediately but he was gone. The police from our area -Nick lived an hour away came to our house later that night. We were thinking maybe he was arrested? I still have some PTSD from that as I screamed a sound I’ve never heard come from me and replay the events of that night in my head. Some months later, his girlfriend and I had lunch and she felt guilty for not being home from work earlier, feeling that maybe she could have saved him. I told her we were so happy that she had been in his life the last few years and that if it wasn’t that day it would have been another. We are so devastated. My husband, his younger brother, my parents, Nicky’s and our friends and family. I was inspired to hear the first words from people about Nick was “He was such a beautiful soul.” Each day is different now and always will be......

Rocky also known as Rocko was an amazing person inside and out. An always go-to family member. You could talk to him about ANYTHING with absolutely no judgement. He had a heart of gold and would completely bend over backwards for you. The day he left us, god got an amazing man on his side that day. Rest with love Rocko! I'll always remember you and love you cuzzo!!!

Joel died from complications of heroin and meth use. It was a sad, inevitable end to the battle he waged for at least 15 years and included the usual litany of rehab, sober living, relapse, jail, and the desperation of those who loved him most. He was a prolific writer and talented hip-hop artist - he was an old soul in a young body who never found a comfortable place in this world. He was so much - and not enough - all at once. How we miss his goofiness, his depth, his capacity to love, and his eternal optimism that he could beat anything. When that optimism died out, his end was near.
His rehab experience ranged from basic warehousing - to "gold-plated" 30 day stays with results tied to how much money you had - to forced compliance tied to sentencing - with minimal success. The best treatment he received was the last one - as a condition of early release under California AB 109 he went into a holistic program that incorporated medical treatment, psychological counseling, work release, and job training. Finally, treating the whole person, not just the addict. He did so well we began to hope for a sustained recovery - it was during this program that he first learned he had a serious heart condition that his SUD had only made worse. The most frustrating thing about this program - it would never have been available to him as a non-offender. The options for treatment are woefully few - for this one, you have to show up high. For that one, you have to show up sober. For another one there are no beds so just keep coming back. None of this is conducive to the lifestyle of the addict. Our hearts were broken over and over and over again.
Sadly, Joel began to believe the lie that he no longer needed step studies, meetings, or accountability. The phone call you think you're ready for - you never are. Funny, irreverent, talented, Jesus loving, rhyme spinning Joel - I'll see you again.
"I love you in a place where there's no space and time."

Morgan James Parker Flynn, of Monroe, NY, died unexpectedly on July 11, 2019. He was 27 years of age.

Morgan was the loving son of Elise Ann Flynn of Delmar, NY, and the late James D. Flynn, Jr., of Troy NY.

He was the grandson of Pauline Mathusa and the late Parker Mathusa and the late James and Janet Flynn. He was born on June 16, 1992 in New York City, NY.

Morgan graduated Monroe-Woodbury HS 2011. He was a proud member of the IBEW Local 3 Apprentice Program, preparing to become an elevator technician.

Morgan loved the outdoors, family vacations at the beaches of Cape Cod, riding anything with a fast motor, and cruising in his GTR. He was fiercely devoted and loyal to his family and friends. Morgan was lighthearted, with a quick wit and had a contagious smile and laugh.

He could talk on and on for hours with almost anyone. Morgan was so handsome and charming and was always cracking jokes. He was happiest relaxing at home surrounded by his family, friends, and the family dogs. Morgan loved life and lived it to its fullest. He was a teacher to us all.

We are comforted knowing he was greeted in heaven by his devoted Dad and loving grandparents and know that his spirit will always be guarding us with love, protection, and strength.

Survivors include his mother Elise Ann Flynn, sisters Caroline Flynn and Pauline Flynn and her partner Ricky Tynes, grandmother Pauline Mathusa, and numerous loving aunts, uncles, and cousins.

He will be laid to eternal rest next to Pop in a private ceremony at Our Lady Help of Christians Cemetery in Glenmont, NY.

My brother was one of a kind. He had energy that took over a room and could not be denied. He was unusually tall, with a booming voice, and a sharp sense of humor. But he had a dark sadness in him that he fought so hard for over a decade. His struggles with addiction stemmed from untreated mental health illness. He was always so sensitive, like he felt everything more than anyone else, which fed into his addiction disorder.

I miss all the little things. Talking about new music. Fart jokes. Ripping on our parents for being lame. But I mourn all the big things that will never be. He'll never see his kids grow up to be the wonderful humans they have already become, he'll never meet my dog who he would adore as much as I do, he'll never be a shoulder to cry on when our parents are gone. And I'll miss seeing him smile again, miss hearing his dumb voice, miss feeling the sharp pain as he knuckle punches me in the tricep.

It is truly unfair that he is gone. The world deserved to know him better, the real him. He deserved better than the cards life dealt him. My parents deserved to see him happy and healthy. My sister and I deserved decades more together with him. Unfortunately, addiction doesn't care what you deserve, it only cares about feeding itself at any cost. It doesn't care about burning bridges or breaking hearts or destroying lives; just like a parasite, it only cares about its own survival even if that comes at the cost of the host.

I cannot wait for the day where stories like this don't exist. Enough is enough.

Pauly was always the life of the party. Even as a child, everybody wanted to be where Pauly was.
What happened to him was an accident and never should have happened. He was in a program, working the steps, and had one slip-up that cost his life on the Friday before St. Paddy’s Day.
Pauly’s loss was, and will always be, a traumatic event for his friends and family. He will be dearly missed always.

Maggie was a free spirit that loved and accepted everyone for who they were. She adored her nine nieces and nephews, and they loved her back. She was the “fun” aunt. Maggie lived in many places and made friends wherever she went, friends she always stayed in touch with. She had a caring, loving soul with a deep spiritual awareness that she liked to share with others. Maggie was loved so much by her family and will be greatly missed. She was so special to all of us.

Brittany was a loving and caring person. She had a bubbly personality and a contagious smile that lit up the room. Brit always gave the biggest, tightest hugs. She will be loved and missed forever.

We Miss Allen So Much 😢

My son passed away from an overdose of fentanyl after getting kicked out of his sober living home. He had the most contagious smile that lit up his face.  💜

It is so hard to live without him 😢 

Rest In Peace My Beautiful Son 🙏

This picture is me and my son Jeramy. He passed on March 2nd of this year. He overdosed on heroin. He was an addict with schizophrenia. He was my best friend. I tried so hard to save him. For five years, I tried all I could. I got him out on corrections for stealing from me, hoping the courts would straighten him out. I was scared to death I was losing him. I fought the good fight, no stone left unturned. But I lost the good fight. Jeramy was found by me, in his bed at 930 in the morning. It's a pain that nobody can grasp until it happens to you. I cry daily- I miss my son....RIP SON.....I LOVE YOU JERAMY!! 😗😗😇😇

Seth is my baby brother and best friend. In the last few weeks of his life, he was the best he had been in a very long time. He was kind, giving, patient, and loving. Everything indicated that things were looking up for his life and his future. However, my brother was was more lost than ever. It seemed as though the change in his heart caused conflict with his actions. He just couldn’t bear it. My brother did not commit suicide, but his struggle with the world and his demons did end his life. My heart skips a few beats just by writing that. My brother was unlike any other. He was funny, witty, charming, and easily burdened by the weight of the world. I would’ve done anything to take that weight off of him. Rather, God did. There will not be a day of my life to pass that I don’t long for him.

My outgoing, hardworking, kind, beautiful son; now with Jesus and whole, but our hearts are forever broken. He was doing good until he made the decision to hook up with some old buddies, just to catch up. One brought black tar heroine. Don’t think you can do it just one more time. My David was just starting his own business and looking forward to life. 💔😭. Mama