On April 26th, 2017 our 16-yr old son, Davis Cripe, went to heaven because of an energy drink. It’s still unbelievable to me that it happened and everyday I wake-up hoping this nightmare is over, but no such luck. Davis was such an amazing kid, loved his drums and had big plans. He was strongly against drugs and alcohol and even helped others at his school stay away from them. Which makes this so much harder, because energy drinks are legal. We had discussed how unhealthy they were, but he, nor us would have thought just one of them could be fatal. We didn’t buy them for him and he didn’t drink them regularly, but I do know he had drank them occasionally. On April 26th he chugged one before he went into class and it sent his heart into an arrhythmia that they couldn’t bring him back from. Just like that our lives were shattered. Fine one minute and 10 minutes later he is heaven. So many people say it won’t happen to me, or I’ve been drinking them and it hasn’t affected me – I’m telling you and we are proof that it can happen at anytime to anyone. And the problem is you are fine, until you aren’t fine and then it’s too late. There are extreme, dangerous amounts of caffeine in these drinks, but the additional herbal ingredients are also causing the problems. They are unregulated and there are thousands of people going to the hospital every year because of their effects. On of the worst parts is that most of this goes unreported to the FDA or anyone so the destruction just continues year after year. Davis’ story was carried on the national news and even garnered international attention. Right now, in the spring of 2019, we are working to get laws passed in Indiana and South Carolina that will make it illegal for persons under the age of 18 to purchase or consume these beverages. This would do a number of things: 1. Remove the immediate access our children have to the drinks. 2. Remove them from vending machines. 3. But most importantly serve as an education tool for our youth and adults alike. Every major medical association says that our adolescents should not be drinking them. The American Beverage Association (which represents the manufacturers) says they should not be marketed to kids and some of the beverages are even labeled that they aren’t for consumption by children – so why in the word are we letting them buy them? It doesn’t make any sense…..No matter how much we talk about the dangers the vast majority of people think they are safe because they are legal and they think – Well, it they weren’t safe then they wouldn’t allow them to be sold – obviously this is false and by fighting state-by-state with our local Representatives we are hoping to wake-up the FDA to their dangers and force them to act and impose national regulations. You can read more about Davis’ story just by googling Davis Cripe and if you would like to keep updated about legislation or support us in our cause please visit my page at (facebook.com/seananddaviscripe) Sean Cripe. I am only using that page for updates about our fight against these drinks. There is information on here about how to contact your Indiana legislators if you live in that state, because the committee is considering then bill right now (Feb/March 2019). It is Indiana Senate Bill 369. Heidi and I will also be working with Cassondra Carbajal Reynolds on her efforts, as well as anyone else that needs it. In the next week or so the new bill should be introduced in South Carolina and then hopefully you will see a whole new round of national news coverage as we have two states considering bills. Lastly, I would like to add that Davis had given his life to Christ a few years before this incident and the Lord has shown us that Davis is in heaven with Him. We know he is in a perfect place now and he is experiencing all the amazing things that the Bible has promised, but we sure do miss him here on Earth. If you are reading this and you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus I invite you (I beg you) to get to know Him, to learn about Him and to experience His forgiving grace, and then ultimately to understand and believe in His promise of eternal life. Davis helped lead people to Christ while he was here on earth and I believe he is still doing God’s work now through his story. Thanks again for your time and God Bless. Sincerely, Sean & Heidi Cripe Chapin, SC