Angels Memorial

 

Alex was 28 years old and working as an electrician for a very reputable company in Columbia County, GA.  He was well on his way to becoming a licensed electrician, as he took night classes while working full time for additional credit towards the experience requirements that would have allowed him to take the licensure exam earlier than required.

 

Alex loved what he did.  He worked just about 7 days a week voluntarily, which showed just how much.  He rarely took any time off, and on that one fateful Sunday in July, Alex decided to take a break, go golfing and have some fun with his friends, but unfortunately, he never came back home.  …Alex always came back home.

 

As I was sitting on my front steps that Sunday afternoon, two ladies pulled up and came walking down my driveway.  They looked official, and one had a badge on.  It was an investigator and the assistant coroner.  I asked them, “could I help you?”, and one of them said, “I am sorry, Alex had passed”.  Time seemed to stop right then and there.  I could not comprehend what she was saying as those seconds after seemed like an eternity.  I asked what she meant, and she said Alex was gone, and he had passed away.  I could not, did not want to believe it, but it was true.

 

When I asked her how Alex passed, one of the ladies told me that he was found outside the passenger door of his truck, on the ground, and by the time the emergency medical personnel arrived, Alex was “blue” and could not be revived.  However, Alex was not alone.  When the call came in to 911, the person on the other end had told them to please send someone immediately because there were 2 men laying in a yard.  Not only had Alex passed, but he was with a friend, his best friend, and he was laying in the front yard just steps from his front door. 

 

The good news for Alex’s best friend’s family was that they got there just in time, and even though Ben was also on death’s doorstep, the emergency personnel were able to administer Narcan which revived him and saved his life.  Still, unfortunately for us, it was too late for Alex.  He was gone, we would never see him again, ever, accept laying in a casket, and we would never be the same.  One of the worst parts of all of this, is that there was a fire station just 1 street over from where Alex died, and it all came down to time, Alex died suddenly and unexpectedly, and time just ran out.

 

I said to myself, no, please don’t let this be the case.  Then I had to do the hardest thing possible in my entire life.  I had to walk inside, call Laura (his mom) up from the basement and tell her that Alex died.  As she got to the top of the steps, I told her what the ladies told me; that Alex had passed way, and he was never coming home.  Her face turned white, she screamed hysterically, it was so loud, the loudest I had ever heard someone scream.  Then she screamed NO!, and then threw herself on the floor.  Our lives, her life especially, had changed forever. 

 

Life for the both of us was never going to be the same, never, ever, ever again would it be the same.  There would be no more celebrations in our lives; No birthdays, no more Thanksgivings, no more Christmases, no more Mother's Day Celebrations No more Mother's Day Pickle-Ball games with the three of us, nothing, but only grief, sadness, and despair.  Not just any type of that kind of  pain and agony either, it's a soul crushing grief that you could never imagine.  There is no joy, no happiness, no sunshine, only a dark cloud of misery hanging over our home and our lives. 

 

Laura's grief is still crushing her to this day.  There is no feeling and no words that can express the sudden and unexpected death of a child.  It’s not natural, a child should never pass away before a parent, and it leaves a void that will never be filled.  This has got to be the most terrible thing to suffer through in life, especially for Laura, a mother.   I cannot even express into words the amount of her immeasurable suffering that I witness daily.  My heart breaks for her and there is nothing that I can do. 

 

We love and miss Alex, and NOTHING is ever going to be the same.  He was a beautiful, funny, well-mannered, and kind soul.  He was taken from us, and from this earth way too young.  All because he took “1” pill that killed him.  He was poisoned by "1" small pill laced with Fentanyl.  He never saw it coming, he did not want to die, and now because of that “1” pill, he will be forever 28.

 

We love you Alex.