03/29/2026
I would like to honor these two. James (on the left) is a huge reason as to why I went into starting For the Boys. This has always been a passion of mine, but the closeness of his story hit so close.
I will never forget, I was sitting in Charlotte with my mom and grandma. We were at dinner right after the grand opening of the medspa I was working at at the time. James was texting my mom and we were talking about him, just like any other night. Never would we have thought that he would take his life a few hours later.
We found out the next day during my brother’s baseball game. It’s a strange thing to be whispered such devastating news while trying to make sure you are showing up for the person playing in front of you.
I have now lost two men I’ve grown up with knowing to su***de. I can’t begin to try to describe the haunting feeling in my chest when I think about it. My entire body aches with the pain of them no longer being here. It puts me back into the reality of how we really don’t have control over anything that happens. How we don’t know what everyone is going through. How someone who has always been there can just one day… not. Tell people you love them, hug them extra tight, be as present as you can because you never know when you may never see them again. We’re all living for the first time. We all deserve grace. We all were chosen for a time such as this. 💛 May we find peace.
Chris and James took their lives two years apart from each other. They served our community together as firemen. They were the first to help when someone was in need. It can be hard to remember that the ones helping us fight our battles can be fighting their own battles too.
Rest in peace, Albury and Kiestler.
