We all have "what if" moments in our lives. Those times when we look back on a crossroads we faced and wonder if we really made the right choice. It can be as small wondering if we maybe shouldn't have gone for bangs at the salon last week, or something much more life-changing. Those can be happy, like finding a new path in your career or deciding to marry your soul mate.
However, there are also those decisions that come at a tragic cost. With prom season in full swing, many teens are celebrating with their friends as they dress up in their fanciest frocks and dance the night away. Many also make the decision to drink alcohol while they enjoy the festivities. Even worse, some find themselves too out of it to stop themselves from getting behind the wheel of their car.
When 19-year-old Griffin realized he'd overdone it at a party, he thought he was doing the right thing by handing his keys to a buddy. Sadly, he still found himself in a dangerous situation.
Posting family photos onto Imgur for Griffin's 20th birthday, his cousin describes him as his best friend and "the goofiest kid I've ever known."
Born just three months apart, the pair spent most of their time together until recent years when Griffin moved in with his mom out of state. Before his move from Pennsylvania to Alabama, they were inseparable from each other, more like brothers than cousins. "We fought, we argued, we laughed and joked."
"Our family went through an Oakland phase for unknown reasons and we were happy to sit there with paint on our faces and yell at the TV. We'd see who could yell the loudest whenever they scored and we'd get our parents would laugh at us because it happened every single time."
While in high school, Griffin's parents got divorced and the teen, who was already battling anger management issues and depression on top of his ADHD, took it especially hard. However, after his dad remarried, Griffin finally found his true "saving grace" in the eyes of his little sister.
His cousin explains how, though it was a tough road for Griffin to clean up his act, that anytime he saw her, "Griffin took his anger and… he dropped it."
A few years ago, he made the move to Alabama and lost touch with his father's side of the family for quite some time. Then, his father got the heartbreaking call no parent ever wants to hear: Griffin had been in a fatal accident. "The boy I held moments after Starla gave birth to him. The tiny body I held in my hands, helping the nurses wash him, was taken from me."
They later discovered that their son wasn't the one driving the car that night. Instead, he had handed his keys to a friend and went to sleep in the passenger seat while the party continued. Unfortunately, that friend made the decision to leave despite his own inebriation and, with Griffin still the other seat, drove off.
His family was devastated that after all the things their young man had overcome over the years, one stupid decision wiped it all away. "I didn't know how to process this. I still don't. I've lost friends and family before but this was too much."
They are constantly plagued by questions and wondering countless scenarios of "if only…" as they continue to try to heal together after this painful loss. But they also hope that by telling their sad story, others will think twice before allowing themselves to be in a similar horrifying situation. His father wrote, "If my words can make one person think about these things and it prevents them from repeating what I experienced… If you are already rationalizing 'I’m OK to drive' — you aren’t…"
Continuing that sentiment, his cousin said, "The next time you go out and have a few drinks, remember to be careful — as your actions may result in someone else making a bad choice for you…"
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