My Big Brother

My story began on August 29, 2019. This is the day that I lost my big brother and my best friend. He was a person who used drugs for more than half of his life. Eight days before he passed, he was admitted into the Nerou ICU due to several strokes and brain aneurysms. He developed endocarditis from IV drug use, this caused the rest of his symptoms. Thankfully, I was able to spend the last 8 days with him and tell him I love him and see his smile one last time. Since then I have been struggling with trying to be the strong one for my mom, our little sister, and his daughter. His daughter is only 1 and was the love of his life. Our sister formally adopted her on February 20, 2020. He would have been so happy. I’ve been severely depressed, and my anxiety had taken a toll on me mentally and physically. I struggle with talking to anyone about these issues because I can’t seem to find the right words. When I stumbled upon Only Human, I was excited. It seemed like a great fit for me to find people virtually and locally that can help me spread kindness. I feel like if my brother had been given kindness daily, instead of stigmatization, it may have saved his life. I am also hopeful that sharing his story will help others. I know by doing so, he would be forever grateful. Thank you for reading.

This moving story was shared by a human named Sheena.