Nothing is Worth This
I have had a few days to think about the tragic death of Starr’s friend and have decided that the message of his passing is well worth sharing.
His name was Devon and he was 22 years old.
I didn’t know him, but I have had the opportunity to view and cry over the pictures and stories on the memorial Facebook page set up by a fellow fraternity member.
As of this moment it appears that he was at a fraternity event watching the Nuggets game in Denver. He apparently drank too much and was asked to leave the stadium. What happened after that is unknown, but he was found nearly 40 miles away, in the middle of nowhere Colorado on the train tracks. He had been run over by multiple trains before being spotted more than a day after he was reported missing. The best guess at this time is that he wandered away from the stadium and hopped a train at the nearby rail station. Did he panic and jump out? Did he fall? Or did he get to the tracks another way? At this point there is just no knowing.
There has been another Facebook page added to highlight awareness of the dangers of drinking and to share the message to always take care of yourself as well as your friends. Always. A tragedy like this one was preventable. I am sure that all of Devon’s fraternity brothers are rethinking their evening and wondering “what if?” I wish that I could ease their pain, as well as the pain and grief that Devon’s family is suffering. The following is posted to the Awareness page and is credited to Devon’s little brother:
I only want everyone to remember Devon for what he was, a special, special person who touched the hearts of many. He was a great, gifted person who loved, and was loved by everyone. He died in the last half of his Senior year, and was such a loss to everyone who knew him. Not for the stupid series of events that led to his death. That said, we want to spread the message of being careful, that you never leave an intoxicated friend alone, because you never know what’s going to happen. Its ok to miss whatever’s going on to make sure they’re taken care of, because nothing is worth this. Absolutely nothing. And thats all we want, because thats all you can do for us, never let anything like this ever happen again. Please just let everyone know.
If you know kids (or adults) of driving age, of drinking age, talk to them. Please! I know I did with Starr, often, and I know (have learned the hard way-which didn’t have anything to do with alcohol) that talking and understanding won’t always prevent tragedy, but it MIGHT! And each and every life saved is oh so very precious.
I was torn between keeping his story private or sharing it, but after reading his brother’s plea I decided that sharing it was the way to go.
Keep the message close to your heart and spread it where possible.
So tragic. I’m glad you shared his story. Always good to be reminded how precious life is and how careful we need to be.
What a tragedy. Thank you for writing about him…and the important reminder to talk to not only our own kids but others, too. Mine are little, but I already worry about the teen years.
So sad. I hope your daughter is coping as well as can be…
.-= Life As I Know It´s last blog ..The Valentine’s Day Box =-.
this is completely heart breaking.. makes me so sad.. especially since it could have been prevented.. wonder when they kicked him out of the stadium if they saw to it that he had somewhere safe to head to in his condition… so sad.. thinking of starr and of you…
by the way- wanted to say thnks for liking my new layout, i’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out myself, i actually had to put in a bit of work for it.. i think it’ll def be around a while..
.-= Randi´s last blog ..Kinda Loving It =-.
What a horribly tragic thing! I wish there was something we could do to prevent such widespread overuse of alcohol!
.-= blueviolet´s last blog ..Chocolate Gone Wrong =-.
I’m so sorry to hear about the passing of Starr’s friend Devon in such a tragic way. My thoughts are with his family.
.-= JAM (Just A Mom)´s last blog ..Cheap Wintertime Entertainment =-.
What a terrible story. It is such a shame to hear about an accident, but when drinking is involved, even more so. It always makes the situation worse. Thank you for sharing.
.-= Kimberly´s last blog ..A New Meme =-.
So terrible; what a needless tragedy. Alcohol can be so dangerous.
I hope many, many people take note and change their habits and activities accordingly.
.-= Jason´s last blog ..My Favorite Lube =-.
My brother just told me a story about what he recently witnessed at a game in Minnesota. There was a group of young men and one of them was intoxicated and was being removed from the event. His buddies made sure that one of them went with him to make sure he was okay.
Designated friends are the way to go.
Keeping Devon’s family in my thoughts.
Such a sad and tragic ending to a young life.
Keeping his family and friends in my thoughts and prayers.