On February 3, 1987 our family was blessed with a beautiful little baby boy, Griffen James Lollis. He would brighten all of our days for the 20 years, 3 months, and 12 days that we were lucky enough to have him.

Wide-eyed and happy, he would soon learn that not everyone he met would be as kind and loving as he. He developed a speech impediment very early in life and he stuttered. This made him the target of those who build themselves up by tearing others down. The experience of being ridiculed made him become extremely shy but it did not deter his happy attitude. He lived vivaciously and loved all those he came in contact with. When he was little we would ask just how much he loved us and he would always say, "all the way to heaven and back". I believe he truly did.

Griffen Lollis was my baby brother. He died tragically on May 15, 2007 after a night of binge drinking.

He went to a birthday party with a group of "friends" near the campus of Lander University. Some were college students and some were not. He drank until he passed out. His "friends" then took a permanent marker and wrote obscenities and sexual innuendos all over his body. One of those innuendos was indicative of a sexual assault. When he awoke he was very angry so these "friends" told him he had to leave.

One of these "friends" drove Griffen either home or almost home and then left him out in the vehicle with the keys. Griffen wound up about a half a mile from home, dead, on the side of the road. He had massive head and neck injuries. His BAC was .267. According to some, with a level that high, he could have already been dying from alcohol poisoning. We will never know, since there was no autopsy or investigation.

Griffen had just turned 20. In South Carolina the penalty is more severe for cruelty to animals than it is for providing alcohol to a minor. That needs to change. Griffen made a terrible choice and paid for that with his life. His death should open our eyes to a problem that exists in our state and we should all step up and show that we value our youth by protecting them from themselves.

They must as young adults accept responsibility for themselves but we as caretakers must recognize that in some situations a young person is not always going to make the right choice. Just this year 10 young people who lived in upstate South Carolina have lost their lives who were under 21. All of those had been drinking. Those were 10 promising young lives whose deaths could have been prevented.

Losing Griffen has been devastating to our entire family and all of those who knew him. He was bright, caring , compassionate and kind. There was magic in his presence. He was a true gift from God whose bright light was diminished way too early. I hope his death will be a gift as well. I hope other young people will hear his story and think twice about consuming alcohol to the point that they lose their ability to make sensible decisions. I hope that legislators will take action to enact measures which would send a message to those who would facilitate this obviously growing problem. One life lost is one too many.

Before Griffen went off to college, I asked him what he wanted to do with his life. "I want to change the world.", he told me. I want to help him do just that. I want to share his story with others in the hopes that it will make a difference.

Thank you for visiting,
Kimberly