18 (and a whole life to go)

A few weeks ago I posted about drugs and addiction, after being touched by the sad story of blogger Katie Granju's son, who was in the hospital following an overdose (and an assault from drug dealers).

He died on Monday.

He was 18 and beautiful and apparently sweet and smart and so full of promises. There's a whole debate about whether addiction is a disease, or due to poor choices/weakness/lack of will, or whatever. I'm still not sure what to think exactly, but what I know is that no 18 year-old kid shouldn't even be given a second chance.

What I know is that no (incredibly unfortunate) story that started four years prior with a naive, panicked 14 year-old confessing to his mom he smoked a little pot should ever end in such a horrific way. After the initial OD, he first showed some signs of rehabilitation even though he would have been likely to suffer from lifelong disability, then suddenly deteriorated after it became clear he had developed a very rare and almost always fatal condition called PML. Unfortunately when she announced this diagnosis I couldn't help but wince at its prospect, having been familiar with it as part of my previous job as a pharmaceutical journalist, since it was linked to the market withdrawal and then reintroduction of a very important multiple sclerosis treatment. PML usually occurs in patients with autoimmune diseases, and leads to a horrible disintegration of the myelin sheaths in your brain.

What I know is that a mother (and a whole family) have lost a child, a child they loved, rocked, fed, kissed, consoled, watched as he learned to walk, taught how to ride a bike, sent off to school for the first time, etc. A child they believed in despite his struggles. And that they all probably never will be the same now that he's gone.

Enjoy every moment. Hold your loved ones real tight.