01/24/2026
Eight years.
Eight years since Brian died by su***de.
And I need to say this out loud - again.
Grief doesn’t need to be fixed.
It needs to be witnessed.
I carry Brian with me every day - in the ache, in the love, in the joy that somehow still finds its way back.
But if you are a kid or a young person reading this, please hear me clearly:
Your life matters more than you know.
Whatever you’re feeling - pain, shame, confusion, loneliness - it is not permanent, even when it feels unbearable.
You do not have to make meaning of it right now.
You do not have to be strong.
You do not have to disappear to make the pain stop.
Grief and joy can coexist.
Pain and hope can exist in the same body.
And there are people who are not afraid of your feelings. People who want to sit with you in them.
If you’re struggling, please tell someone.
If you don’t know who to tell, you can call or text 988 in the U.S. any time. You are not weak for reaching out; you are alive, and that matters.
Brian, I love you forever.
And to every child who is hurting: stay. Please stay. 💜
#988
