Derry boy Martin 'Mac' Connolly was only 15 years old when he passed away in 1997 leaving his mother and father devastated forever.
Martin's body was found in an alleyway behind shops on Beechwood Avenue in the Creggan area of the city after he inhaled butane gas.
The passing of the teenager left his family, including his father, mother, two sisters and brother, with a huge gap they've been unable to fill.
Read more: NI mum on living with the same illness that claimed life of sister
The schoolboy died back in October 1997 just shy of his 16th birthday, and on the cusp of the Good Friday Agreement, dad Martin said he "had so much to give".
A talented footballer, playing for Tristar and Doire Colmcille GAC, 'Mac' has attracted the attention of a number of teams in England and Scotland.
Speaking to MyDerry, his dad described how he has been a hard-hitting campaign aimed at getting young people to think twice before taking potentially deadly drugs.
"It's 25 years since Martin passed away and that's hard to believe," Martin Connolly said. "It never gets easier for me or Martin's mother and the family.
"He had so much to give this world and that's the sad thing. Not only was our son taken from us due to drugs, but it also destroyed his potential for the future. I'm sure it would have been a bright future for Martin.
"We have boxes of medals in the house for his sporting achievements. He would have always been involved with sports if he was alive today, I'm sure of it. He was very much into his football and Gaelic [football].
"His ambition would've been to play football and we were due to go over to see Manchester United the week after he died.
"But it wasn't to be and at the time Martin was running around with a group of boys and girls and they were getting involved in drugs."
"They were primarily sniffing solvents and abusing it," Martin continued. "We were aware of it and through his school and through youth workers we were trying to get him help so we could support him.
"But things weren't the same then as they are now. Unfortunately, we were still going through the Troubles and there was just very little support for people who were experiencing or going through substance abuse. It was an uphill struggle for many families."
Martin explained how his son, on his way from a football match he had just played, had met up with some friends in the Beechwood Avenue area.
"They were in a shed at the back of the shops in Beechwood," he added. "They were sniffing, some were drinking and he decided to partake in the same activity and unfortunately for Martin, he paid the ultimate price.
"He collapsed with toxic poisoning after sniffing butane gas from an aerosol can, and never regained consciousness. He was taken to the hospital after somebody had found him and we were alerted and we went to Altnagelvin.
"We had been told that Martin had been injured and because it was close to Halloween we thought it might've been a firework or something like that.
"When we got to the hospital one of the nurses took us into a side room and explained to us what had happened. I had asked if Martin was still breathing and she said he wasn't."
The Derry teenagers' death caused shockwaves across the city and led to the beginning of the Divert Project and a number of other initiatives.
The Divert project is a prevention, early intervention and diversionary service for children, young people and families affected by their own or another substance misuse. It has done huge work for people suffering from substance and alcohol addiction.
"It is something you never get over," Martin said. "It's something that you constantly think about and we always wonder what he would be doing now if he was alive.
"His two sisters and brother have got on with their lives and Martin now has nieces and nephews, he probably would've had his own family.
"And during every birthday, christening, Christmas, Easter, and summer holidays, things like that, you always miss him the most.
"That's why we take on this campaign now and always try to be a leading voice when it comes to calling for better addiction facilities. across the country.
"I've been involved in drug and alcohol projects now for the last 20 years, doing work in schools and that work will continue because while things have improved massively over the years, there is still more to be done."
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