JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It’s now been almost 22 years since Mark Braddock lost his brother Brent to an OxyContin overdose, with Brent just 22 years old at the time of his passing.
“I unfortunately lost my mom and my dad as well [in] 2015 and 2016,” Braddock shared with Action News Jax Friday morning. “I knew losing my brother would take a significant time off of their lives. So, it doesn’t just stop at the person that obviously dies from the overdose.”
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Braddock isn’t alone in his loss, with over 5,000 Floridians dying from drug overdoses each year, according to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics.
On Sunday morning, Mark and his brand 8103 Clothing -- named after his brother’s birth and death year -- will be teaming up with Project Opioid Jax and Florida Poison Control for the second annual Beaches Memorial Walk. The walk will be honoring those who have lost loved ones to opioid overdose, like Braddock.
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“The people that are left behind are victims too,” Florida Poison Control spokesperson Mike McCormick said. “So we’re here to honor the families also that have to live with just memories that they have at this point.”
Organizers of the walk are also hoping to raise awareness and educate, saving lives by getting more people familiar with administering emergency treatments to combat an overdose like Narcan.
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“We need people trained what to do so that we can wake the brain back up and get people breathing again,” McCormick said. “Every person that we bring back, that’s a chance to get somebody into treatment, and then from treatment we can get them into recovery.”
Braddock has also launched the Brent Braddock Foundation in his brother’s honor, looking to organize events like Sunday’s walk.
This year’s Beaches Memorial Walk is set to run from 9 a.m. until noon at the Seawalk Pavilion in Jacksonville Beach. Click here to learn more.
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