John was my first love. He was funny, he was adventurous, he was hard-working, he had so much life ahead of him. 

 

He had more birthdays to celebrate. 

He had more friends to make. 

He had more football games to cheer on. 

He had a cap to throw at graduation. 

He had a wedding day to attend. 

He had more love to give. 

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John’s smile was contagious and his heart was so big, but addiction spares no one, not even those with a heart as big as John's. As we laid John to rest his junior year of college, we were faced with the harsh reality of this disease. We realized the overall negligence of drug education in our society, more importantly in our young adults.  We realized the weight of mental illness and the (forgotten) correlation with substance use disorders. We realized how a simple, social habit can quickly transform into a crippling disease. We realized society's backward focus on rehabilitation instead of prevention. 

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Looking back, we all wish we knew more. We wish we would have known how to prevent this disease from taking its toll. We wish we would have known what to look for. We wish we would have known how little time it took. I don’t want any other families, or other friends to have to wish. With that being said, I’d like to introduce the silver lining in this story,  Just in Time Prevention. 

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John’s story has given us the strength to inspire you to raise awareness, become educated, and most importantly, help others. It has given us the drive to bring light out of this darkness. I can only hope his story will encourage you too.  

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