My brother, Cory, was & is a great person. Beautiful smile, huge heart, very intelligent. Unfortently, last Saturday (April 6th 2013), Cory passed away from a drug overdose. He was only 31 years old, he had so many years left to his life, so many more people to meet, so many more memories to make. He struggled for years with a heroin addiction, since he was 18. There were times that he would be clean for a year at a time & when he was clean he was the Cory everyone wanted to know & be around. Heroin created a monster that not only hurt himself but hurt the people that cared & loved him. I don't want anyone to remember the monster drugs created but the man he was when he was clean.

While Cory was clean he found God and went to church a couple days a week, he has taken me to his church before when he knew I needed God in my life. His smile would light up a room when he entered it, his laugh was just so amazing. He's a beautiful person. Everyone that knew him wanted him to realize his potential, he could have held the world in the palm of his hands with no problem. I always think about why he didn't realize it & why he wouldn't help himself. But I've come to realize that he DID want to help himself but the little demon (drugs) kept telling him that he needed them & he was nothing. That's not fair but it's the price every addict has to pay.

When Cory's roommate found him he had already been dead for hours. We were told he fell & hit his head & got knocked out. He started to overdose & sufficated in his own barf. By the?time he found Cory, his body had already started to decay. He has to be cremated. I never get to see his face again, never get to touch him. I think thats the hardest part, it hasn't kicked in yet. The pain is unbearable, it will never get better but i will learn to live with the fact he cant hurt himself and he wont be addicted anymore. God gained an angel & i lost my big brother.

I just want everyone to know that if you are addicted to please get help. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE. I dont care if you think there isnt hope and that its too hard because think how your family would feel if you died. Think about the people that love you and watched you grow up. I love you, yes you. I dont care who you are or what youve done. Please help yourself. There are always people out there that are willing to help you and people that love you. Do it not only for the people that love you, do it for yourself. You deserve it. I hope my brothers story helped someone out there. Rest in peace Cory, fly high. Watch over me, hold my hand, guide me through life and help me make the right decisions. I love you so much. <3