Shelley Hennig "mde an extreme negative into a positive," the Days of Our Lives star told Soap Opera Digest about the tragedy that took her told brother, Brad, in 1991.
He died in a drunk driving accident. And Henning is now crusading against underage drinking in an effort to prevent future accidents.
Following the incident, Hennig began working with the Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (CADA), a Louisiana nonprofit community health agency. From there, the young actress became a spokesperson for Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Buzz Free Prom project.
"My brother was only 18 when he died," said Hennig. "There were four people in the car. Two of them survived. My brother and this girl passed away. We don't know who the driver was. And it doesn't really matter who was drinking."
While the actress has never gotten over the tragedy, she has found that lending her time and support to these groups has proven somewhat therapeutic.
"Since I was 16 I've been going around speaking at different schools about losing my brother to a drinking and driving crash," said the Days of Our Lives favorite. "My goal and hope was to show people that you're untouchable."
Lately, Hennig has become quite involved with Buzz Free Prom.
"The organization's mission is to take alcohol out of the prom equation," she said. "You get teenagers, kids in high school, to sign a pledge that they won't drink on prom night. They all get together and make this pact."
Shelley Hennig won the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2004. After earning the crown, and briefly appearing on Passions, Shelley won the role of Stephanie on Days of Our Lives, a part previously portrayed by Shayna Rose.