‘We are going to by no means cease telling your story’: Kevin Hayes wrote an emotional tribute to his late brother Jimmy

Bruins

Hayes died in 2021 after unintentionally overdosing on cocaine and fentanyl.

It’s been precisely two years since Jimmy Hayes died after an unintended drug overdose. His brother, Kevin, not too long ago wrote about his legacy in a shifting piece for The Gamers’ Tribune.

Formatted as a letter Kevin addressed to his late brother, it’s full of feelings. Although rooted in tragedy, it additionally consists of a number of humorous anecdotes testomony to Jimmy’s heartfelt character.

The 2 grew up in Dorchester and performed regionally earlier than ultimately being drafted into the NHL.

Kevin, three years youthful than Jimmy, mirrored on his brother’s altruistic nature at the same time as youngsters.

“I’ve by no means seen a child who simply needed everyone else to be alright, on a regular basis,” Kevin wrote of his brother. “You might be the largest nerd on this planet (me, for instance) and Jimmy would exit of his method to speak to you and make you’re feeling a part of the group.”

Calling him a “Dorchester Batman,” Kevin recalled how Jimmy had a particular expertise for arriving in the correct second simply to cheer others up.

Following his older brother’s path each to The Noble and Greenough Faculty in addition to Boston Faculty, Kevin cited Jimmy’s inherent capability to be careful for him as a stabilizing power in his life.

“He was simply ensuring that I used to be O.Okay. It’s what he did greatest.”

However together with recollections of humorous moments — together with a number of “Name of Obligation” online game references — Kevin addressed his brother’s surprising demise.

“Everybody has seen the headlines,” Kevin wrote. “There’s no operating from it. Two years in the past, my brother died from an unintended overdose of cocaine and fentanyl.”

The rationale for writing the piece, Kevin famous, was the hope that sharing the story may assist elevate consciousness concerning the risks of opioid addition.

“If capsules can take my brother, they will take anybody,” he mentioned.

Whereas he admitted that the ache of his brother’s demise won’t ever fully diminish, Kevin underscored the significance of preserving Jimmy alive by speaking about him.

“We are going to by no means cease telling your story,” he promised.

Whilst he admitted that Jimmy’s demise nonetheless “hurts so dangerous some days that I can barely take it,” Kevin promised to persevere within the hope of constant to make others conscious of the factor that took his brother’s life.

“I misplaced my greatest good friend due to a drug that’s destroying America,” he wrote. “It’s not only a downside in hockey. It’s an issue in all places. It’s an issue in Boston, West Virginia, Texas, California, in all places. It’s an issue with medical doctors and legal professionals and engineers. Opioid dependancy has most likely touched most households in America at this level, and the one method we are able to save folks is by bringing these tales into the sunshine.”