Fearless Heroes of Chaos Rise Above!
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Josh Tam's Story
On Boxing Day 2018 my husband John and I left for our annual Christmas holiday at the beach. I leaned down and kissed my beautiful son goodbye, as usual, much to his disgust and said “drive safe to the festival, it's going to be a long drive”. He smirked and said “you know mum, boys and long drives” in his dark humour kind of way. That's something we had in common.
That was all I was worried about. As most parents do with their kids we had plenty of conversations with Josh about drugs and alcohol, we hardly needed another. Josh was 22 years old. He was almost, not quite out of what we have all as parents come to accept is the danger zone of their adolescent years.
Josh was an ordinary kid. I say ordinary in that he was working, he enjoyed years playing football, he had a good education, he had two invested parents and a loving family. Ordinary yes, but special non the less. Joshi was a great son, brother, uncle, grandson and cousin and yet on Saturday 29th December at 11:37pm I was woken to a call no parent should have to receive. What? Who? Josh? Are you sure? Our son? Surely not? This happens to other families to other people and yet here this was happening to us.
In that moment in time our lives changed forever. Nothing will ever be as shiny as our lives were before that day. No amount of joy in lifes special moments will ever or can ever be as bright.
No parent ever thinks this will happen to them. As much as all parents worry about their kids, we can never prepare ourselves for what can happen nor brace ourselves for a life left to live having your child pass before you. We remain now members of a club no one applies for and no one gets to leave. The bereaved parents club.
Josh, I know would be devastated to think that his reckless decision that day has changed our family forever. That the piece in the puzzle that he was has gone has left a hole that can never be filled by anyone or anything.
In his memory we founded Just Mossin in the hope that perhaps his story may resonate for many others and that it may just save one other family the pain and loss we experience every single day.
Our hope is that his story ripples far and wide and allows informed conversations to be had; to make changes to policies where needed, to increase harm minimisation methods and to improve parent education in how best to guide their child during these formative years, to provide more relevant information in our education system in order to better inform our youth of the potential for harm in all aspects of life that they may be presented with once they head out into life beyond their school years.
That is our goal..
Joshi’s mum, Julie.