Walk Across America

Wracked with grief, Brett Bramble set out on an odyssey to draw attention to the heroin epidemic

Devastated by his sister’s death, Brett Bramble set out on an odyssey to draw attention to the heroin epidemic. Video and photos by Bita Honarvar Edit by Erica A. Hernandez

Midtown resident Brett Bramble was devastated when his sister Brittany died from a heroin overdose in 2014. He dealt with his grief by making it his mission to tell her story in hopes of saving others from the same fate.

One night, unable to sleep, the idea of walking across the United States popped into his head. It seemed like a pipe dream, but he found himself researching other people who had done it. He was surprised how many there were. Most of them did it to raise awareness about various social causes.

A week or two later, Brett was sitting alone in his living room.

Do this for your sister, a voice inside him said.

“It scared me because I knew I had to do it,” he said.

The next moment, he took out his iPhone, tapped the Snapchat app and held it up in front of his face.

“I’m going to walk across America for Brittany,” he recorded himself saying. And then he posted it.

Read the rest of Brett Bramble’s journey here