Austin Box was a gifted athlete, scholar, teammate, friend and humble man. He gave everything he had to the world and the people around him, believing that selfless investment in others was the key to happiness and growth for himself. When Austin died of an accidental prescription overdose in 2011, his family knew Austin's impact on the world was just getting started. They started The Austin Box "12" Foundation in his honor, with the mission of educating the public on the dangers of prescription drug abuse. If this foundation prevents other families and students from experiencing the trauma and tragedy they the Box family experienced, Austin's legacy truly lives on.
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Prescription drug abuse is a serious issue rooted in addiction and disease, and removing the veil of stigma and shame from it is vital. Austin was ashamed of his abuse of prescriptions, and as a result, he divided his friends into groups: The ones who enabled and covered up his abuse, and the ones he shielded his issue from because he knew they wouldn’t support it. So take note: If friends exploit and enable your disease, they’re not your friends; and if you’re hiding a part of yourself from others you care about, face it and make it right.
Your contributions to The Austin Box “12” Foundation ensure that we can continue to honor Austin’s legacy, but more importantly, you can help us save lives and provide scholarships for high school athletes aspiring for a college career. We wake up every day and prepare to do battle with grief, guilt, loss and this awful, tragic epidemic that has stolen lives from families all across our country. We know we can win this battle, but we need your help.
Please give.
Today, Austin's mother works to fight the stigma associated with drug use so more families can communicate and seek help. Gail says, “It is my personal goal to just save one life and to keep one parent from enduring the pain that my family has endured.”
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