This is my son Parker. My child, my friend, my companion for over 30 years. He brought joy and laughter and love to all who knew him. And, he suffered from addiction for half of his life. He didn’t choose this, it chose him. He fought it off, more times than not. During his last 4 months, he completed a residential treatment program and reached a new level of sobriety and well-being.
Late February in 2016 he died from an accidental overdose.
In a recent card, he wrote to me…
“I’m so happy to have had a great time with you these last few days. Thank you so much for your endless love, support and encouragement. You give me strength when I need it most … I never could have gotten this far without all your help… thank you so much for never giving up on me.”
This battle can be won. Not every time, but sometimes. And for every victory my heart will lift.
So now, his sister and I have decided to continue the support we began with Parker and extend it to others. For that critical time between residential rehab and being self-supporting, we want to encourage recovering addicts to hang in there. We want to assist with the basics of food, transportation, and possibly housing for people in Orange County that have little or no support.