Shatterproof Rise Up Against Addiction 5KRun/Walk

In the middle of the night, on October 20, 2011, I received the phone call that is every parent’s worst nightmare. My son Brian was dead. He died of a disease that afflicts more than 22 million Americans every day.

He died from addiction.

Inspired by the compassion and love Brian always showed others, I made a promise to him to spare others of this tragedy and to put an end to the stigma that still surrounds addiction. I decided to show others devastated by this disease that they are not alone. That’s how Shatterproof was born.

On November 4, 2017, six years after my son’s death, thousands of people from across Atlanta will come together for the Shatterproof Rise Up Against Addiction 5K. Some will walk. Some will run. We will honor all our loved ones we’ve lost and we will celebrate those on the path to recovery. We will prove that love is much greater than stigma.

Atlanta, I hope that you will join us for the Shatterproof 5K. On that day, we will foster tolerance and dismantle the discrimination and judgment associated with addiction. That day love will go up against stigma and trust me, love will win.

Yours, Gary Mendell