Brett Bramble's cross-country trek raising awareness of overdoses

When Brett Bramble's 28-year-old sister died from a heroin overdose, he was devastated.

But when he started researching drug overdoses and learned that more than 100 Americans die every day, he was stunned.

“I don't want anybody else to feel this pain,” he said. But, after trying fundraising efforts and joining support groups, he decided he needed to reach more people. On Sunday, March 13, Bramble and his dog Domino will begin a walk from Cape Henlopen State Park to San Francisco to raise awareness about overdose rates, the overdose-reversing drug naloxone and good Samaritan laws across the country.

“As far as stopping people from using or helping them with addiction or recovery, that's not what I'm doing this for,” he said. “I think people should stop being ashamed about it and just be real. If they want help, they should be able to get it without shame.”

Bramble said the only way to lift the stigma of heroin use is to educate others about how people become addicted and what can be done in the worst-case scenario of an overdose.

“Whether you use or not, there are ways to prevent the death,” he said. Good Samaritan laws, such as the one passed in Delaware in 2013, provide criminal immunity for people who call 911 in the case of an overdose.

“Addicts might wake up and be pissed because they're not high anymore, but they're alive,” he said. “I'm not here to judge. I hope they stay alive, that's all I care about. If they're alive, there's hope.”

Bramble said he hopes his message infiltrates the user community as he walks across the county. He hopes he can save lives by sharing his sister's story.

Before Bramble's sister, Brittany, overdosed two years ago, she was in recovery. She had an overdose scare about a year before her death, and her family was working to get her an apartment and support her in recovery.

Then, one night she was supposed to go to Brett's house, but never showed up. When Brett woke up around 6 a.m., he had about 30 missed calls and one question, “I asked if Brittany was alive.”

“Brittany the person was doing great, but it was the addiction that kept bringing her back to the house [where she would use],” he said. “To deal with grief is to do something positive. This is not for everybody. For me, that's what's working. It's motivating me to walk across the country.”

Bramble encourages anyone who is interested to join the beginning of his walk at Cape Henlopen State Park at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, March 13. His full journey is expected to take about eight months, he said.

For more information, to donate or to get involved, go to brettbramblewalks.com.