10/02/2026
To the man standing behind me in the Walmart pharmacy line today who thought it was funny to say “su***de is the answer” ….AND LAUGH….
I hope you were embarrassed by my response.
I hope every person who turned around and looked - made you uncomfortable.
Because you picked the wrong Mom to say that to.
This is my son, Brady.
He died by su***de at 16 years old.
And THIS is why su***de will NEVER be funny to me.
You saw a stranger standing in front of you in a pharmacy line with an awareness shirt on.
What you didn’t see was a Mom who would give absolutely anything to hear her son’s voice again.
You didn’t see the years of missing him.
You didn’t see the birthdays without him. The holidays without him. The empty chair. The pictures that are all I have left.
You didn’t know that one stupid sentence would have me sitting in my vehicle afterward with tears running down my face.
You just “didn’t know.”
And THAT is exactly the point.
We NEVER know what the person standing beside us is carrying.
So yeah…I got loud stating, “that's really not funny…”
And I’d get loud again.
Because somewhere within earshot there could have been someone barely holding on who heard you say those words.
Su***de is NOT the answer.
Brady mattered.
YOU matter.
And I will keep saying it as loud as I have to. 💜🩵
Please think before you speak. You never know whose story is standing right beside you.
xxYou Matter Brooke-Rod Dudgeon
