The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

Quite simply we will miss everything about him. His quick wit, his laugh, his infectious smile. Danny was so much more than what he showed most people. He was deep and sensitive and cared very much for others, especially those less fortunate than himself. He was not a materialistic person, and was known to give his last dollars to someone in need. Despite all of his wonderful qualities, Danny did not always see them in himself. He struggled with self esteem from a young age. After graduating from high school, he was disappointed in options and was introduced to opiates during his first semester of college. This began his 6 year struggle with addiction. He went at least 7 different times to treatment programs and found the most success in Southern Florida. Dan had long stretches of sobriety and did his best when he recognized himself as an addict and followed the 12 step program. He hated heroin, and did not want it to be part of his life - but fell victim to the disease and the escape it provided.

Cynthia is the one and only child of her dad and his wife Ruth whom she lovingly referred to as "Mom." They involved her in sports and she obtained her black belt in martial arts at a very young age. She is highly intelligent which gives her the ability to master any task set before her.
She was very independent as a teenager. As with many teenagers, her need for independence, coupled with her level of intelligence, gave her a false sense of security in believing that she could make her own decisions and live her life without the need for guidance. These choices let her into the dark world of chemical dependency.
Cynthia found herself with an addiction to "speed." She was able to kick this habit and shortly after finding out that she was pregnant with her son Andrew. He is the love of her life, the reason for her existence, her entire world. There is absolutely nothing that she would not do for him.
Eventually, drugs reared their ugly head once more. Cynthia's drug of choice this time was heroin. An insidious drug that caused her to become a person that she hated. After her parents begging and pleading for her to get help, she agreed to go into treatment. Because she had no insurance, she made the decision to go into a treatment facility in Tijuana, where her brother was also seeking help. Within 24 hours of her admission, she was found deceased, in her room, from an accidental overdose.
The devastation that her passing has caused her family is indescribable. It is a pain that will never be alleviated, regardless of time. The only thing that allows her parents to continue to move forward, is her beautiful son Andrew. They are committed to ensuring that he never forgets what a beautiful soul his mother is and the endless love that she had for him.
The stigma of heroin abuse must be smashed! Those who struggle with heroin addiction are not people living on the streets with a needle in their arm! Cynthia was a hard working mother, a daughter, a wife who had a home, dressed well, had a love for tattoos, and was a productive member of society! Heroin does not discriminate. It doesn't matter what race, religion, or financial status you're in. For those who find themselves in the grasp of addiction, the end result is one of the following: Jail, institutions, or death.
As you may have noticed, we have referred to Cynthia in the present tense because she remains very much alive in our hearts. We know that she is with our heavenly father, watching, and sometimes visiting, her son as well as her mom and dad. She is missed every single moment of every single day. Her memory will live on......forever. <3

Kathryn was an innovative small business owner and world traveler. She taught English in Taiwan and South Korea, and lived in England briefly. She had an infectious personality and laugh. She had a way of making everyone around her feel special. Her addiction to alcohol and Xanax ended her life on November 26, 2015. She will be remembered for the amazing things she did in her 29 years in life.

Harrison, singer | songwriter| rapper | producer.... had "aspirations bigger than your whole town".

The Subvers!ve Music Foundation has been set up in his memory to support youth in respectful, non violent, drug free music: www.subversivegang.org

Billy was my everything, he still is. He had my heart since the day I met him, and it just kept getting better from there. We did everything for each other and with each other. To say he was the love of my life is an understatement, he still is, always will be. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do for me, or for anyone, to be honest. His smile could light up the world and he always put others before himself. Many of his buddies in recovery with him have told me stories about how much he helped them get to where they are today, I couldn't be more thankful for the lessons Billy taught me. Although he cannot be here with me today I know for sure that he is always with me in spirit and no one will ever take his place!

Born on December 14, 1987 in Birmingham, Alabama. She passed away at her home in Clanton, Alabama on January 22, 2017. She was 29 years old. Kaylee leaves behind her son, Charles Francis Martin, her parents, James Kyle Martin and Kathryn Kirkwood Martin, her long-time companion Christopher Sanders, as well as two sisters, Amanda Sudderth (Fletcher) and Cortney Bosworth (Rick), and a host of nieces and nephews.

Kaylee attended Oak Mountain High school in Pelham, Alabama, and later Jefferson State Community College and the University of Alabama Birmingham. She majored in Mass Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism. Kaylee worked in the food service industry and later as an administrative assistant for Doubletree Hilton Hotels.

Kaylee enjoyed attending the Grove Community Church with her family in Clanton, Al. She was involved in numerous activities including a discipleship class.

Matthew was strong. He was courageous, he knew no fear yet he was gentle and kind. He was the guy that you wanted on your team. Matthew was always full of life, energetic, upbeat, and positive. He was the best son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, or friend we could ever have. He had a huge, kind heart, he loved his family and friends, and his heart beat was his beautiful daughter. He was the middle child of 3 sons, all close in age and he remained close to his 2 brothers into adulthood. Matthew was very kind, generous, and intelligent. He was also our most stubborn child and anything he put his mind to he would accomplish. Matthew was competitive, athletic, and outgoing. He loved the outdoors, family beach vacations, riding his Harley, fishing, and hunting. Matthew loved wildlife and had a special fondness and knowledge of birds. Matthew was a bricklayer by trade since the age of 15. He was good at his craft and took pride in his work. Matthew had a smile that lit up the whole house. Matthew was a great cook! He made the best macaroni salad and the best spaghetti and meatballs. Matthew was proud of his Italian heritage. Matthew was always adventurous,and he seemed to do just about everything "first" in the family. He walked when he was only 7 months old. His daughter says her dad was very talented and she is right. He liked to laugh and have a good time. For a "tough guy" he could be very sensitive at times; he got that from me. He liked being with his family especially his daughter. They were like 2 peas in a pod, always playing and laughing. He was so good with her. He taught her many things like to tie her shoes and to work her math problems. He was smart. He was a good person. He never wanted to hurt his family. He loved us and we loved and continue to love him.

Joel was an incredibly loving man, very witty, very smart, loved reading his fantasy books like Game of Thrones, loved music and gaming.

Connor felt everything so much! He was sensitive and used that sensitivity and creativity in his writing. He loved to listen to music and enjoyed sharing his love for music with others. He liked being outside whether it was taking his dogs on a hike or doing landscaping or playing bocci ball on the beach with his family. He also had a passion for working with young people so he worked with teens at church and younger children in a before and after school program. His goal was to become a life coach and help those struggling with addiction avoid some of the mistakes he made.

He was kind and loved everyone. He loved his family more then anything. He is so missed everyday. A huge void in our hearts forever.

Chris was a very intelligent young man that had so many dreams for his future. He was engaged to a wonderful girl and was making plans to start college. The youngest of three sons, he was definitely the free spirit.

When you ask people to describe her in one word most would say BEAUTIFUL. She was a very outgoing person who had touched so many people's lives. She had a heart of gold.

He cared a lot about other people and loved animals. He was athletic and made it to regional finals as a freshman in college in pole-vaulting.

Jared was brought up in a stable household with a mother and father that loved and cherished him dearly. At a young age he was very outgoing self confident with the gift of athleticism, he was able to excel at any sport of his choosing. He began swimming at the age of four and was a natural fish in the water. Swimming took him all the way through high school and into college with a swimming scholarship.

Full of love and a whole lot of artistic talent.

Aaron was so full of life! He loved making everyone laugh and loved seeing everyone around him happy.

Beautiful soul. Easy to talk with. Great listener. She loved her family and enjoyed being a grandmother. It was a privilege to spend time with us. Creative and artistic. A servants heart. Enjoyed gardening and watching movies. Very easy to please. She had the GIFT of GIVING and asked for nothing in return. She could take one verse of scripture and write a whole page of poetry out of it. When she worshiped, she did it with all her heart and she LOVED GOD.

She was the life of the party, she was everyone’s best friend. She was compassionate and kind. She was hilarious and irreverent and could literally make you laugh until you cried. She was talented and beautiful. She was charming and tortured and artistic and adventurous. She didn’t care what people thought of her, and she loved practical jokes. She loved show-tunes and trips to New York to see Broadway shows. She believed in magic and Harry Potter. She loved to snowboard and rock climb. We had a family tradition early on, as soon as she found out the truth about Santa Claus, that every Xmas, we would travel instead of doing Xmas at home. Some of my fondest memories of Cassidy were on our annual vacations at Xmas time: New York, Disney World, Universal Studios, Hawaii, Park City, Quebec, Whistler.
She went full throttle in everything she did. There was no half-way with Cassidy. 
She never stopped playing dress-up her whole life and never missed an opportunity to go to a Harry Potter Premiere in her Gryffindor robe carrying her wand. In retrospect, I think she always used make-believe as her escape from her inside pain. She had so many sides of her and could easily slide in to any group and fit right in immediately.
Some of my favorite memories were road-trips to the beach singing at the top of our lungs to show tunes or other music favorites and harmonizing together.
When Cassidy was at her best and healthiest, she was the brightest and most beautiful star in the night sky. She has now become her own super nova. Cassidy always had a connection with and deep love of butterflies. To her (and to me) they came to symbolize her grandmother, my mother, who died of cancer 11 years ago. We always waited for Cassidy to emerge from her cocoon and to truly reach her potential in life. Because we all knew she could achieve anything she ever dreamed of. Truth is, she has now, finally reached her potential, but it meant she truly had to leave behind her mortal covering.

Jared was a beautiful person. He was very intelligent, had a heart of gold and loved all things! He always took the time to help others, putting his needs last. He died in his bed with his beloved cat resting with him.

Jared's final post/words the morning he died:

The proper way to go about exploring a romance has such eloquent simplicity to it. Ya win some, ya lose some. Just go for it. Follow your heart without expectation and fear not, loving yourself whether reciprocated equally or not. THAT is 100% renewable, clean burning love in its purest form.