October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Read and share stories to honor survivors whose lives have been changed by domestic violence.

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Bret from VT

I met Jeff, who became a close friend. I met him through a girl I knew, Zoe. He had been dating her at the time. He was an amazing graffiti artist. I had never seen his work on the street, but his sketches were good. This guy was helping with a business their roommates had going — silk screening, printing shirts. Jeff was from Philadelphia.

Jeff might have met Zoe at a local rehab place; it was a place that kids were sent to for behavioral reasons. But he was an easygoing individual. Whenever I visited them, it was not dramatic. We usually had a good time.

I had talked about getting a tattoo with Jeff; he actually started it on the spot. He was always ready to help.

Jeff opened a tattoo studio in my hometown. His artistic skills would not be wasted. I’m not sure what happened next; I’m not sure how the rest of the story went. At the time I was going through many, many issues. But I was told Jeff took his own life. I was told he had done it with a firearm. I hope that others will find the most out of life.

Reacting shows support for gun violence survivors.

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