Dear Nick,

We know you didn't grow up hoping to become an addict. We know that it wasn't all your fault. We know that if you had the chance you'd much rather be making music above ground, rather than 6 feet under. But the world lost a genuine and altruistic young man just a couple weeks ago. And for that none of us can seem to forgive ourselves. Not one person I have spoken to so far has had a bad word to say about you. Because you were and will always be a memorable part of the lives you've come across. But the fact of the matter is that you were just a victim in the game of drug abuse. In our state alone, the rate of heroin-related deaths has skyrocketed to be more than three times the national average. Three times. In our hometown of Edison, NJ, it is as easy to come across heroin as it is to find an Arizona Iced Tea at your local convenience store. None of us blame you. We blame a generation that believes dabbling in heroin is a perfectly healthy practice. We blame a culture that can make the use of heroin "okay" as long as there is medical supervision of those addicts as they inject the drug (cough* New York *cough*). We blame those who condone heroin as "their problem," instead of "our problem."

I know that we can't speak to you anymore. But I hope that someone reads this and realizes just how much you meant to the world, Nick. You were smart, funny, talented and loved. I may not have been family, but I could see all of this from how your family looked at you. Regardless of the situation or predicament, your family was always by your side and that's why seeing you go was even more of a tragedy.

Now I know this letter does not truly do you justice, Nick, but it's a start. To all of those people out there who know of someone battling drug addiction, be there for them. And to all of those people out there battling drug addiction personally, know this: you were given this life for a reason. Your path may not seem clear yet and you may stumble along the way but the best part of recovery is realizing how far you've come. So don't give up just yet on those childhood dreams of becoming a doctor or an astronaut. And no matter what, remember that someone, somewhere loves you more than you can even imagine. Keep holding on to whatever keeps you living and use that to survive. Because the feeling you get from a drug like heroin is but a small moment in time compared to the road of euphoria that could be the rest of your life.