upworthy

son

Family

After son's tragic fentanyl death 2 years ago, this dad gave emotional speech on grief

"While the weight of grief can sometimes feel unbearable, I made the decision today not to stay in bed, but to show up."

equiteaco/Instagram

Quentin Vennie gives emotional speech on anniversary of son's death.

The loss of a child is an unimaginable pain. Parents who outlive their children live with a deep grief that often settles in the questioning of why they didn't 'go' first. Hard days are a given, especially the anniversary of a passing.

For tea shop owner and entrepreneur Quentin Vennie (@quentinvennie) that day recently came on April 13, 2025. In a moving video shared on Instagram, Vennie shared in a speech at his shop The Equitea Co. in Baltimore, Maryland, that it was the second anniversary of his son Christian's passing due to accidental fentanyl consumption.

Rather than stay in bed all day grieving, he found himself at his shop surrounded by supportive friends and community. "Today marks 2 years since my son Christian passed away 💔🕊️," he wrote in the post's caption. "There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think about him. And while the weight of grief can sometimes feel unbearable, I made the decision today not to stay in bed, but to show up—with love, for the people who continue to show love to us."

Vennie can be standing up behind the counter of his shop as he begins to give a speech to his customers. "I'm sure nobody knows this, but two years ago today I lost my son. He was 17. He accidentally consumed fentanyl," he says as he starts to become overwhelmed with emotion.

He continues, "I just want to share my humblest gratitude and appreciation for everybody here right now, because ordinarily on this day I'd probably be home grieving. And instead I'm here making matcha for everybody," he says, as people in the shop begin to cheer him on and give him encouragement.

He ends his speech with more words of gratitude. "I'm truly humbled by the love and support that you all show and continue to show, and how you continue to show up. This is a hard day for me and my family. And you all are the only reason I got out of bed this morning. So thank you so much," he says as he begins to cry with his head in his hands.

The shop erupts in applause. As the camera pans to the crowd, many people can be seen wiping away tears.

In the post's caption, Vennie shared more about the loss of Christian and how a day doesn't go by where he doesn't think of him. "Every day, I do this for Baltimore. But today, I did it for Christian. I love you, baby boy and I miss you more than I can express," he wrote. "Thank you to everyone who continues to support our journey. Your presence means more than you know 🙏🏾."

The emotional video got a resounding response from viewers. "A loud reminder to be kind because you don’t know what someone had to push through to show up today. Love and light to this family ❤️," one wrote. Another shared, "Your candor is so pure. Next time I'm in town, straight to this spot. Thank you for your honesty." And another viewer added, "You are a Superman and an incredible father! Give yourself the grace to grieve and be Clark Kent! We love you brother!"


From Your Site Articles
grief
More

An awesome dad created an adorable home workout video to show how he bonds with his kids.

When fatherhood and fitness collide, it's pretty darn adorable.

Brent Kruithof is the kind of dude who loves working out, but his job as a CPA wouldn't allow him to do it very often.

During his busy seasons, Kruithof could barely find time to sneak in a quick trip to the gym, so you can imagine how hard it was for him to find quality time with his wife, Katie, and their two young sons, Giorgio and Decker.

Photo from Brent Kruithof, used with permission.

The issue was time.

He was spending too much time away from his family due to the demands of his day job, and he wasn't about to sacrifice precious family moments to work out at the gym no matter how badly he wanted to.

Something needed to be done.

His answer? Incorporate his kids into his workout routine.

And the results were adorable.

It included working out while his baby giggled.

All GIFs from Flyup Fitness and used with permission.

And getting some father-son ab work in.

Baby-wearing? Yep, he does that, too.

And finally ... watching his son navigate through the "daddy bridge" in style.

He even managed to come up with a whole home workout company called Flyup Fitness designed for parents who didn't want to spend their free time away from the kids.

Once Kruithof shared his family workout video on Facebook, it went viral, and his company soared to the next level.

"In one week, our sales numbers were equal to our sales over the previous six months," he said. "It's great to have a positive impact on families all over the world."

And it's all because Kruithof demonstrated how fun it can be to workout while spending time at home with the people you love most.

Now Kruithof spends more time with his sons than ever before. And, oh yeah, he's in the best shape of his life.

All it took was a little creative time management to get there.

"Family is the most important thing to me," he said. "I hope my kids will use my journey as an example that they matter to me more than anything else."

Sure, not everyone enjoys working out — but no matter what your thing is, there usually is a way to bond with the kids while you're at it.

Either way, it's always nice to see a dad whose biggest muscle is his heart.

Check out Kruithof and his kids in action in this adorable video:

Trending Stories