The Garage Ministry is hosting the first of three community heroin awareness meetings from 7 p.m. – 8:30 tonight. It’s not only aimed at the at-risk youth they build relationships with, but educators, parents and anyone in the community.
“We’ve been going to too many funerals, too many late night emergency room trips,” explained Laurie Beal, director of The Garage Ministry which reaches out to at-risk youth and beyond. “It’s not just our garage kids dealing with this heroin ugliness. It’s all across the town…We knew something needed to be done and we decided to step up and try to be a part of the solution.”
Heroin knows no boundaries in who it attacks. Kids of all ages, all socioeconomic statuses, those you would least suspect are hooked on the devastating drug. Rob Brandt, who will be the featured speaker at tonight’s community heroin awareness meeting, knows the pain addiction causes a family. His oldest son, Robby (pictured above), became first addicted to opiates after getting pain medication from having his wisdom teeth out. Then, in October of 2011, Brandt lost his 20-year-old son to an accidental heroin overdose.
Some time after his death, the family found a notebook in their son’s room, a notebook filled with hopes and dreams.
“He was going to speak in schools, he had a website all ready and was going to build an online community where recovering addicts could come together and support each other. He just never got there,” said Brandt. “At the time of his passing, he was clean for 110 days and was three weeks away from deploying to Afghanistan. He had all the things he wanted lined up and yet for whatever reason, the drug called and that day, he said yes and it was the last time.”
The Brandts always thought they were aware parents but said they didn’t understand the effects of opiates and that heroin could ever come into the picture. They did rehab and other avenues but felt like they were walking the journey blindly. The Brandts felt like there weren’t many options available to help addicts and their families learn about and cope with such a loss, a loss that a parent has no control over.
Finding their son’s notebook, and realizing the lack of awareness about the drug and help available, prompted the Brandts to start RobbysVoice.com in honor of their late son, who they describe as enthusiastic, adventurous and kind-hearted. RobbysVoice.com started in 2013 as the conduit to awareness, but it’s since changing focus.
“It’s really turned into a connection,” Brandt explained. “We have parents who call us on a regular basis and say so and so is addicted and what do I do. We spend a lot of time talking with and working with families, helping them navigate and cope with the situation and connecting them with the agencies that can provide the help that they need. Unfortunately,we get far too many phone calls, and I get plenty from Wadsworth, of parents saying I lost my child last week, what do I do. We spend a lot of time on the phone because we get it. We know exactly where those families are.”
The Brandt family has made a conscious effort to remember Robby in a memory book.
“We write down anything that made us laugh or smile, things that he did that were those positive, strong memories,” Brandt explained. “Once you clear away the fog from this journey from hell, which heroin addiction really is, those are the things you want to remember. I know for me personally, for many, many, many months, I told God every day, ‘I know you have a plan and I think it sucks. It really sucks.’ I finally woke up one day and I said, ‘thank you. Thank you for 20 years.’”
Brandt gave some tell-tale signs your loved one may be addicted to drugs. He said seeking help immediately is key.
“If money’s flying out the window, things are disappearing from home, those are tell-tale signs, Nodding off is another big one, a lot of privacy, a lot of time in the bathroom, a lot of time behind closed doors, hard getting them out of bed. The three things they’ll never be able to hide are their pupils (you’ll see a big change in their pupils), their voice (it will slow down) and their coordination…When you see these things, your antennas need to go up immediately and you need to start peeling the onion back.”
The Brandts have dedicated their lives to educating and saving others because every life matters. Visit RobbysVoice.com to educate yourself about the drug epidemic, to get help for someone you know, or to just pray for the precious lives lost to this powerfully potent problem.
