Luke Derespinis

My name is Diana Derespinis Cosentino. My brother Luke was 4 years younger than me. His addiction started short at age 15. People don’t understand or realize he not just a statistic; he was a brother, uncle, son, nephew and cousin. 

Luke was in and out of jails and hospitals, I can’t count how many rehabs all over the states. The final rehab worked. Insurance ran out and my parents spent over 30 to 40 grands just to keep him in. When they couldn’t afford it anymore he was to come back to Charlotte. I will never forget seeing my baby brother so beautifully tan, teeth sparkling white and built because the gym was his happy place. When I saw him for the first time my legs collapsed and I cried. He said, “sis why are you crying?” I said, “because you’re so handsome,  you are huge and your teeth are so white. My God what are you doing?” Being the jokester he was he said,   ‘finally brush them now.” Well, I know why insurance ran out. I believe God wanted me and my family to see him so healthy like when he was little. 

Thirty days later I found my baby brother, 23 years old dead laying on his bed. He was already gone 12 to 14 hours so rigor mortis already set in. I go back to the moment I opened his bedroom door over and over again. I will never forget anything. I had an outer body experience. I was screaming, punching holes in the walls and throwing kitchen chairs. I couldn’t let what I saw comprehend what I just saw. In my head he finally did it. He screwed me over. You see years earlier he overdosed in my house but I saved his life by doing CPR and 3 shots of Narcan from the ambulance revived him (that’s another story).  But this time, 7/31/14 he finally did this to me, I can’t beat the crap out of you and I can’t scream at you for this. You ruined my life! Luke was doing so well.  He had his own house renting with others who I thought I trusted, with people from fast and the furious. Luke was in a good place so I thought. 

I have PTSD, a mother who doesn’t leave the house and repeats on a daily basis that she wants to die, while she still has my youngest brother and my son. It was always, “Luke, what’s he doing  and is he clean. I can’t handle it Diana, I’m turning my phone off and keep yours on.” I was like a second mother to help my mom with all this. I believe that day Luke guided me with our mother to his house. People don’t understand what siblings go through. I recently got married and in my vows was, “Luke he brought my husband in my life.”

Story by
Diana Cosentino