Kimberly Schneider

Kims-Picture0001
Submitted by: Jeanette Schneider
Born: 1973
Died: 2011
My Tribute: Kim was a beautiful, kind, gentle soul who struggled with mental illness and addictions. Combining my efforts with others who have lost their children to problems such as these, I hope to make a difference and perhaps save other children who are struggling in life with the same issues.

Benjamin John Burke

Submitted by: Theresa Burke
Born: 1984
Died: 2012
My Tribute: Ben was my son–a shy, humble young man who battled heroin addiction bravely and openly.
He did everything humanly and spiritually possible to get well, but the disease took him after a 5 year battle. His family does not believe his overdose was an accident. He gave up. He was exhausted and depleted and had just completed 6 months clean. He had restored everything that mattered most…his friends, family and his God. Rather than risk losing everything again, he killed his addict with his favorite weapon–heroin. Ben never had a choice after the first time he tried it. His words: “My brain is wired to kill me.” Heroin took his body but not his soul. May God forgive anyone who says that a heroin addict deserves to die. Would you say that to a person fighting cancer? It is the same. Ben didn’t want to die, but dying became a better choice than living one more day as a heroin addict. Thats how much fun he was having! I miss my son so much, the grief still takes me down like a grenade when I least expect it. I admire Ben’s courage and faith. On the morning he died he went to church and to his favorite AA meeting, he had been praying the rosary for months and had gone to confession. He called us to say goodbye, but we didn’t realize what he was preparing to do. He came home to die while we were on vacation. He died on Palm Sunday 2012. His body laid on my kitchen floor for four days before it was found. We continue to heal as we realize that all of our prayers were answered, just not in the way that we thought! Ben is clean and whole and finally free.

Joshua R. Giroux

1441362_10200985130010774_1940981555_n
Submitted by: Devin Giroux
Born: 1989
Died: 2013
My Tribute: Josh was my beautiful, kind, funny, loving little brother. He was clean for 8 months when he decided to use one last time. The loss of him is unbearable to me, the rest of my family & his friends. He left behind his parents, 3 siblings, a girlfriend, a dog that loved him, friends who became family, and 4 loving grandparents. At his wake and funeral, people I had never even seen before were coming up to me telling me stories about things Josh had done for them. I hold on to those memories. Because although he was an addict, he was a good person. You have to be born like that. The world is forever lacking now that he is gone.

Andrew

Submitted by: Cynthia
Born: 1984
Died: 2013
My Tribute: My beautiful son Andrew.
His life ended on 12/24/13, a heroine overdose.
He was a joy and a blessing. He made everyone laugh – he was a good hearted man, caring and compassionate
To know him was to love him.

Cassandra

IMG_120941074016639
Submitted by: Auntie Karen
Born: 1995
Died: 2013
My Tribute: My niece Cassie died from an overdose of heroin, far away from home, at the apartment of a misguided relative. We will never know the truth of how this happened or the violence she suffered before her passing. Praying for peace for my sister, Cassie’s mother, as well as for all of you.

Ben J Podein

1233529_10201355463921506_1493262416_n
Submitted by: Sue Podein
Born: 1987
Died: 2013
My Tribute: My son Ben passed away this past labor day weekend at our home alone from an over dose of heroin. Ben was great father to his 2 year old son and was trying to over come his addition and went through rehab twice (before he even knew he had a child). He also had a job that he liked very much, his co-workers said they were all very close and like family to each other. Unfortunately, he just got pulled back to as he called it the green eyed monster. We miss him everyday, we cry a lot and are trying to make sense out of a senseless situation. Ben wrote a lot about this drug and the control it had over him. The devil took him out but God took him home.