The National Addiction Memorial honors the loved ones we’ve lost.

Tessa Christine Kathleen Joseph, 30, died on Thursday, October 4, 2018 at her residence. Tessa was born on September 4, 1988 in Hastings, MI , the beloved daughter of Stephanie Beatty Joseph and the late Gerard Henry Joseph. She graduated from Central Catholic High School in 2007 and West Liberty University in 2011. She was an employee of the Health Plan, a member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church and Our Lady of Lebanon. Tessa was a member of the Ohio County Democratic Women and Narcotics Anonymous. Tessa struggled with addiction, but fought the dragon as best as she could. All of those who knew and loved her will miss her more than words can say. Her sense of humor, her fashion statements, and her strong compassion for the underdog are just a few things her circle of friends lost when Tessa flew to the Angels.

gofundme.com/TalkOD

He had so many plans with the ultimate goal of continuing to help save lives as a doctor. I am amazed by how meticulously he had arranged his various med school application files as I sift through his belongings in my attempt to make sense of his death.

A “New Yorker”-caliber editor when we met in February 2002, Jamie was hyper-intellectual with a crackling wit. Often bedecked in a bow tie and always bespectacled, he was a debonairly charming man.

Jamie was my most precious friend and a big brother among little ones. I am absolutely broken without him.

I am wistful that all of the love for Jamie, which so many have exhibited and for which I am ever-grateful, might have saved him had he known, but I don’t fool myself.

I will continue to honor Jamie for the rest of my life by advocating for the destigmatization of addiction and raising money to fund research for its treatment. 

Meredith struggled in adolescence with ADD and depression. She completed high school in 2006 and then headed for south Florida, seeking her own niche. There, “Mya” applied her free spirit to piercing, suspension acrobatics, and on the canvas of her beautiful skin, which accrued many tattoos, including a regal lotus crown on her forehead.  She returned home periodically to Iowa for summer family reunions. She aspired to be a welder and had begun coursework toward that end in 2016.   

After 30 days in the hospital, Meredith was released on September 14, clean and sober. Elated to be free of her addiction, she planned to return to Des Moines. She joyfully received family support, evidence of her heart’s turn toward recovery. She planned to begin substance use and mental health treatment, return to welding school, and maybe even take up the banjo with her mom. 

Meredith lost a friend to a heroin overdose in St. Pete on Sept. 18th. She had offered to take him to inpatient treatment that same day. Brokenhearted, she turned to the most dependable means she knew for treating emotional pain. 

Meredith died at age 29 on Wednesday, September 19 in Saint Petersburg, FL, of a heroin overdose. She is survived by her mother, Susan Myers, father, John Goerdt (both of Des Moines, IA), brothers Corey (Atlanta, GA) and Andrey (Des Moines, IA), and a large extended family.  

Going through her photos, she feels so close and alive. I can't believe that I'll never again hold her, laugh with her about her dad's and my many parenting mistakes, or get to tell her I love her. She didn't intend to die. I wish I knew what she was thinking when she took that last 'dose' of heroin. She seemed so excited to be coming home to get to treatment and return to the land of the living.

I think the pull of heroin is much greater than we families realize. We forget that over the months and years of use, even when it wasn't continual, the drug hollows out it's victim's ability to think, plan for the future, and make rational choices. When I cleaned out Meredith's purse and personal effects left at the hotel where she died, and then later her car, there were so many spent syringes. It made me sick. "Who IS this?!" These scenes didn't match the genuine desire to get sober I saw in her just a couple of weeks before her death.  Was the whole plan to come home a lie? 

I believe that my sweet daughter wanted with every fiber of her soul to heal and rejoin the circle of our family and her community.  That the awful toll heroin took was her strength to bounce back when her friend overdosed. She did the best she could at the time, but what little strength heroin had left her was insufficient to the challenge of one more heartbreak.  I know she never wanted to hurt us, she told me this. 

Did heroin, the grinding hopelessness and shame, the pull of surrender, win?  Maybe the point of Shatterproof is to give survivors the chance to say, NO. Love wins. Now.  And it begins with us. ~ Susan, Meredith's mom

Lisa Jane Young was a very strong, independent, gorgeous, family oriented woman. All of these characteristics made her so unique. Lisa has 4 daughters and 11 grandkids. Before she passed it was always evident that family meant everything to her.

Lisa struggled with addiction to crack cocaine and opioids and although her addiction took over her life, she never failed at saying how much she loved Jesus Christ first, her family and most importantly, her “grand babies”. Although addiction took over most of her life, she never stopped trying to educate others on how to kick this disease.

Lisa has written many books that we hope one day will get published as it will help so many others before it is too late.

We’d like to honor Lisa for her fight, for her wisdom during her fight, and we wanted to say “WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU MOMMY” ! We know she is safe, drug-free, happy, and now living her best life in heaven!

Matthew was introduced to me as a brother. He was 13 years younger than me. As Matt became older we became very close. He became a good friend to many. He became a father to one. Due to an injury, Matt became addicted to opioids. He mixed them with alcohol. Drugs took a great guy and faded him away to nothing. I love you Matt. I miss you, every day. I will try to make right by you. I'm sorry for my loss, brother. I will always love you!

Rodney struggled with addiction through all of his adult life. Living his life inflicted with this disease was a hard one. He was sober for lengths of time, positive, and happy. Rod was so strong and so devoted to beating addiction. Sadly, addiction won in December of 2012. His family and friends miss him immensely every day. He leaves behind two incredibly devoted, loving parents, 2 sisters, and 1 brother. Also, 2 brother in laws and 5 nieces and nephews who wish they knew him.
We love you ROD!

I lost my fiancé to his battle with his demons. He finally lost against them. He was my best friend, my everything, and he is gone too soon. Taylor hated doing drugs. He gave his all to quit so many times and he wanted nothing more than to beat this. He will always be remembered for his big, loving, compassionate heart. His love for his family, friends, me, and others touched so many lives and so many people cared for him. He was special in so many ways and I just wish he would’ve known that. He will forever be in mine and so many others hearts forever. He will never be forgotten and will always be missed and loved. I love you two ways babies. Now & forever <3 I still can’t believe you’re gone & I miss you more & more every single day.

Tony was a hard worker and loved his kids (twins). He didn't have the best childhood, but he always made the best of everything. He struggled with drug addiction all his life. I moved him up here to VA, originally from FL, to get away from things, thinking that would help. He had amazing jobs, yes, multiple jobs that he loved, and was doing great. He was so selfless towards others and would be there with the snap of the fingers to help. He will always be my big brother and I'll always miss his laughter, his smile, his sarcastic ways, lol. He will be forever in our hearts - Jean and Marilyn Howell (mother and sister)

Sagen hated doing drugs.
He gave his all to quit so many times and he died fighting. He didn't know how to stop even though he was so knowledgeable. He was an unbelievable teacher to all the people he met along the way. He had so much ambition to do more and be better. He never gave up. Ever. We love you Saggy Poo and we're still so proud! Miss you every day!

Joshua's struggle with addiction was a battle that we all fought as a family. There were a lot of highs and lows. Joshua's battle lasted two years. Those two years taught us strength. They taught us to be thankful for every moment that we got to spend with Josh. We were thankful for the sober days when we had our son and brother back. We made the most of the time we had with him and never took one moment for granted. We laughed, we ate, and we drank every cup of coffee that we could find. We said "I love you" often. We explored the city together. We were grateful for the big steps, but never took the small steps for granted.

When Joshua left this world, there was nothing left unsaid, nothing left to do, and nowhere left to go. We knew that his life was fragile, we made the most of every day, and as a result, we are left with beautiful memories to last a lifetime. We just really miss his laugh.

We continue to live life by this motto "Live as if today is your last."

Edwin, Cecily, Jakob, and Wanda will continue to spread kindness in your name.

The Arroyo Family

Today little brother, I got the call I knew would come one day. But I was still not prepared for it. It's hard to believe that even though we didn't get along, we will never get another chance to disagree. I'm so glad we had that last conversation just a few weeks ago and it was a good one. I didn't like you much but I always loved you.

I urge you to tell your family and friends you love them before that opportunity doesn't exist anymore. And if there is anything that needs to be forgiven, please, I beg of you to forgive today.

My brother and I had a very strained relationship for many years. About four weeks ago I felt God urging me to offer forgiveness to him and to ask him for his forgiveness. We had the first decent conversation we'd had in years and while we still disagreed, we were able to say I love you before we hung up the phone. I had no idea how important that last phone call would be until this morning at 4 am when the sheriff called to say my brother had died suddenly. Now there are no more opportunities to argue or say I love you or to share Jesus with him.

So please, do it today if you still can!!!

Robert "Bobby" Eugene Doan Jr., born on January 11, 1971 in Marathon, Florida, to Elizabeth Curtiss and the late Robert Eugene Doan Sr, passed away at age 47 on September 22, 2018 in Spring Hope, North Carolina. He was an employee at Blair Maintenance. Robert was preceded in death by his son, Robert Doan III; and stepsister, Renee' O'Connor. He is survived by his sons, Steven Doan and Jerry Doan; daughter, Jessica Doan; sister, Regina Rodgers; stepsisters, Doris Tart and Cheryl Brown; grandchildren, Madison, Lyla, Hunter, Zachary, and Ava; niece, Rebekah Salinas; and nephew, Michael Bolton.

Bobby was a son, a brother, a father, an uncle...and someone with an addiction. There were two sides to him...the loving, big-hearted but very headstrong side, and then there was the person suffering from addiction who hurt everyone and made everything difficult. You never knew which person you were going to deal with from one moment to the next. The words below were written by my daughter the day we got the call:

So many times I've watched addiction take hold of the people I love, and make them a totally different person. So many times I've prayed for them, and that God would step in and take that desire away from them. So many times I've hated them for letting their addiction take over their lives, and take away everything they have. So many times I've been angry at my "merciful" and "loving" God for not stepping in and saving them from their addiction. So many times I've hated their loved ones that seem to enable them. So many times I've just wanted to give up on them because "they'll never change." I know that people with an addiction have so many demons that they are constantly battling. I know for some no matter how hard they try, they will never outrun those demons. I know that their addiction doesn't just affect them. I know how hard it is to watch the people you love slowly slip away because they just couldn't shake their addiction. I know the pain of feeling like you should've prayed harder, begged them more, pleaded with them more, been there for them more... Maybe that would've worked, but probably not. I know the fear when you get a call in the middle of the night just hoping it's not to tell you that they have passed away. I know that gut wrenching pain when you realize they are gone. I know how all of the "what if" questions swirl crazily through your mind non-stop. I know what it's like to have to tell family members that their loved one is gone... I know that even if no cause of death is given you still wonder if the addiction is what killed them. I know that it's hard loving someone with an addiction, especially when you have a strained relationship, because you had to protect yourself from the devastation that addiction causes. I know that for so many that have never struggled with addiction, or don't have a loved one struggling with it, it's easy to believe that you can "just walk away", or that "they're not trying hard enough to get sober". Please understand that addiction takes over every part of you, and you become a slave. I don't care how long someone is sober they will always struggle with the urges of their addiction. Please pray for all the families affected by addiction; for all the parents worrying about a child they haven't heard from that just pray their baby is somewhere safe; for all the children watching their parent be consumed; and for all the people trying desperately to reach out to their friends. Please pray because addiction has such a far reaching path of devastation.

Our hearts are broken, but I am more determined than ever to fight for those who aren't able to fight for themselves. God be with us all!!!

Greg had a unique way of making people feel at ease. His intelligent, naturally curious and sensitive nature made talking with him easy. He was always able to see the bright side and was quick to make everyone laugh. He was not only intelligent, but also creative and he loved music, movies, and the outdoors. He and his brother loved to talk endlessly about fishing; both the fish caught and the ones that got away. He was the person you would want to sit next to at any occasion because he made you feel interesting and would keep you laughing. His family is so proud of the public service he dedicated his life to. He served his community as a firefighter and critical care paramedic. He was always the person you would want with you in the worst of times. 

Greg suffered from addiction and his family and friends suffered with him. Although the loss of Greg is a dark time for us, we are incredibly fortunate to carry so many happy memories of him in our hearts. We remember that Greg would not have wanted us to be sad but as he would always say, "It's a bright sunny day, can we go fishing?" Our hope is that others who battle addiction will not only carry his hope in their hearts but also survive. 

His warm and caring way, his love for me, his mom. My love for him will never die.

A life too short that affected so many. Your struggles were so real and unfortunately took your life. Your pain is over and ours continues on grieving the absence of you. Rest In Peace our sweet Angel.

Jeremy had such a wonderful sense of humor. He could lift someone out of their darkest mood with his deadpan humor. At the same time, underneath it all, he was struggling with a crippling problem of addiction. He tried his very best to get sober. Jeremy succeeded more than once, conquering his demons. Through it all, he continued to reach out to so many others in our community that were heading down the same hellish road. The last time he was sober it lasted for quite some time. One night he went out and ran into some of his old "friends". In a moment of weakness, he gave into the unrelenting craving to use. Sadly, that was the end of his journey....and his life. Unfortunately, he must have used an amount that he could tolerate in the past, and it was too much for his body to bear. The day Jeremy left us he left behind many broken hearted people...especially his family. I want to make certain that he did not die in vain. I know his fondest wish for his legacy would be to fight in his honor for those have no one to fight for them. Jeremy was a Godsend and I owe it to him to keep his memory alive.

Jeremy was one of a kind. He was extremely loving and compassionate.He would never refuse to help anyone. As a child in school he was a bit of a prodigy (even if I do say so myself). In second grade he began to help his friends and classmates that were struggling with their work. The teachers' used to say that he was done with the day's assignments hours ahead of time and they needed to keep him occupied and out of trouble! He used the gifts that God had given him to make others feel better about themselves. Oh, despite his extraordinary cerebral ability, he was just like any other kid. Jeremy loved soccer, baseball, music, video games, and most of all he loved people. Giving of himself made him very happy. He loved to laugh! I have so many great memories of the two of us joking around and seeing who could out goof the other. We had so many belly laughs! I am smiling and laughing as I write this because so many different memories are running through my mind. In grade school he was the star of the show! We lived in a tiny seaside community where everyone knew each other. When Jeremy started middle school is when I began to notice a slight change in him. I think that he felt like a little fish in a big pond. In the area where Jeremy grew up, three different towns attended both the middle school as well as the high school. I believe it was hard for him to adjust to being around so many other kids that he didn't know. The insular world of our small town had now become a huge metropolis in comparison. It started in his sophomore year in high school. First it was wine coolers, which graduated to beer. By his senior year he started to use pain killers. We were all so devastated and just didn't know which way to turn. Try as we might, his partying was becoming more and more frequent. Jeremy did graduate high school with honors and went on to college. We breathed a sigh of relief, overwhelmed with joy and gratitude because we believed the worst was behind us. He continued to work, volunteer, and help his neighbors and friends. Many people were shocked to learn that he was battling a horrible addiction. He hid it very well...until he could no longer manage to maintain the facade. I know that he hated the fact that he was an addict and that made him use even more, so he did not have to feel. Jeremy fought the good fight up until the day he passed away. To the very end, as sick as he had become, Jeremy continued to try to help others like him who were also struggling. After his passing, five people told me that because of my son, they got clean and stayed that way. That is Jeremy's legacy...not his addiction to drugs. Addiction happens to people from all walks of life. It is not discriminating. This insidious disease took the light of my life from me. I promised Jeremy in my heart that when I was strong enough I would continue to fight for the rights of others who are being denied the proper treatment that is imperative in order to save their lives. You will never be forgotten, Jeremy. You left so much good behind. I miss you every day but I can assure you that you do live on in the hearts of many. You were well loved and respected. That my beautiful son, will never change.

Joel was the only son, and brother to two sisters. He had two nephews and a niece. He was the father of 2 cats, bam & hello kitty. He struggled with addiction for 8-9 years. He was in jail for about 6 months, Sept 2017-April 2018 for drug related charges. He was sentenced to one year but worked his butt off to get out early. About a month after he was released, he had an accidental overdose. He was easy going, funny, and had a heart of gold. He will be missed by many.

Michael (Mikey) beloved son and brother, adored husband, treasured uncle, nephew, and cousin, lost his battle with depression and addiction on September 29, the feast of St. Michael. 

Born July 14, 1989, along with his twin sister, Melissa, Michael was a loving son and an adoring brother and uncle. He loved all sports, but his favorite was basketball. He was an avid Knicks fan. He graduated Iona College with honors in 2016. Michael’s greatest passion was his family. He loved holidays and birthdays. He found so much joy in his nieces and nephew. Michael was  passionately in love with his wife Jaci since they were teenagers. He was devoted to her.

Michael will be remembered for his loving and compassionate heart and the joy he created in the world.

Our dear Mike lost his life in January 2016 due to pain medications. He was a triathlete, a master mechanic, an active father, a loving husband, a dear friend, a son, a brother, etc. In late 2011, pain shot down his leg and stayed 24/7. In 2013, he had failed back surgery. There was no known 'fix'. He needed pain meds. He tried all other options. He moved from Morphine to heroin when the dose was not enough. He died in our home of a heroin overdose. His incredible, loving daughter found him. He never wanted that. He should not have been put in this position from a physical and mental addiction to these poisons. We miss him every minute of every day.