My brother Jonathan was 19 when he died. He was a sophomore here at the U of A, majoring in psychology. Maybe you knew him, maybe he was in one of your classes. Jonathan was a fun loving, big hearted, and brilliant young man. He had a beautiful smile that instantly put people at ease. Really, Jon looked like any other student on campus. But he was different. More different than I could have known. He had secrets that ultimately killed him.

Jon loved to party and meet new people. His house by the U of A was always alive with music playing, friends catching up, and an overall welcoming feeling. I knew that Jon drank and smoked pot with his friends. What I didn’t know about Jon was that his drug use was escalating. He was trying more dangerous drugs and using more frequently. All of this was completely unknown to me and my mom. My dad had passed away from cancer the previous year and it had been hard on all of us. Admittedly, we were grieving and a bit distracted. But Jon always seemed happy, healthy-looking and under control. He was running straight A’s in school, he had a job, everything seemed fine. But drugs were apparently becoming a part of Jon’s daily life and on October 3, 2006 drugs took his life forever when he suffered an accidental overdose.

Trust me when I tell you, Jon was the most adored son and brother. We were a close family who never ended a phone call without saying, “I love you” to each other. Jon had lots of friends and he loved to laugh and joke. He was the kind of guy who got along with everyone, made people around him feel special and emanated goodness from his beautiful heart. I know how much he loved me and my mom, which is why I know how devastated he would be that he has caused us so much pain. But with all the heartache that I, and all who loved him have felt, it is Jonathan who paid the ultimate price for his risky behavior. So it is Jonathan who I cry for the most. I mourn Jon’s undeveloped potential, because I know that he would have done great things and that the world is now a less bright place without him. I mourn the future that Jon will not get to see.

Jon enjoyed life so much and I know that if he was here he would tell you that the short high of a drug isn’t worth losing your life. I will always have unanswered questions about Jon’s death. How did he get to that dangerous place? Why was Jon taken when so many others survive years of addiction? But the hardest question and the one that will always torment me is: Why didn’t Jon, as close as we were, come to me for help? I will probably never fully understand how or why my family’s life unfolded the way it did. Interestingly, from all of the questions came long discussions, and my mom and I decided to try to focus our energy on developing solutions. We got together with UA’s Campus Health, who have put this great website together that offers help regarding issues from drug abuse to violent relationships.

I’m actually here to ask for your help. It is too late to help Jonathan. But it is not too late to get help for yourself or for a friend or relative. I have discovered that the people who did know that Jon was abusing drugs were his friends. And so, you see, friends have a lot of power, a lot of responsibility to take care of each other.

My mom and I created the Edward and Jonathan Linden endowment for Campus Health here at the U of A because we believe that every life is worth trying to save. This Friend-2-Friend website is the first step in the project because we think that friends have the greatest potential to recognize when another friend has a problem. So, we ask you to never let an opportunity to help a friend (or yourself) pass by. Ask yourself if you, or any of your friends are in harm’s way, with drugs or any other risky behavior. Reach out—you would want someone to offer help if you were struggling. Anyone of us can make mistakes and bad choices, so let’s look out for one another. Don’t let your friend or loved one deal with a problem alone.

Please explore this website more to see how you and your friends can stay happy and healthy.

Thank you for letting me share my story with you.

Good luck, be safe and reach out!

Stephanie Linden

The Friend 2 Friend program was developed by The University of Arizona Campus Health Service through a gift from the Edward and Jonathan Linden Endowment.

To make a donation to the Friend 2 Friend program, please click here.