Knoxville Mother and Writer Begs Other Parents Read Her Story… Son, 18, Dies From Injuries Received During A Drug Deal Gone Wrong

If you are a parent… STOP NOW… and READ THIS BLOG! Don’t just read the first page. Read until you think you can’t read it anymore… then keep reading some more.

And when you’re through with your own tears… go get your kids… and make them read it as well.

Please, please, please always be open with your kids about drugs and alcohol. Talk, talk, talk and talk some more.

Henry Granju died yesterday from injuries resulting from a drug deal gone bad. He was 18 years old… and a fellow student with my own children at West High School in Knoxville, TN.

The pictures of him are killing me. His mom’s story is killing me. Every time I look at the pictures on her blog I see my own nearly 17 year old son.

Please let the Granju’s loss not be a waste. Please let my kids and everyone else’s kids learn something… anything… from what the Granju’s are going through.

No mother should have to hurt the way Katie Granju is hurting right now.

Something positive… MUST… come from this. This mother’s loss is worth nothing if it doesn’t.

“Talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol. Talk some more. Do it today. Dig deeper. Look more closely. Trust your gut no matter what your teenager is telling you. Err on the side of doing too much rather than not doing enough. Please. I don’t want H’s [death] to be for nothing. I want other people to learn from our family’s experience.” -Katie Granju

“Give your children an extra hug today. Tell them how much you love them and how special and perfectly amazing they are. Never miss a chance to tell them that. I’d give anything if Henry could hear me telling him that now.” -Katie Granju

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Henry Louis Granju: 1991-2010