On November 20, 2017, the Koch family lost their youngest son due to a fatal drug overdose. It was once an issue they kept private among themselves, however, today they have decided to turn it into a mission to save others.

June and Danny Koch shared that their youngest son, Jay, was just like any other child growing up, as were their hopes and dreams for him.

“He [Jay]was, as we liked to put it, a ‘joy child.’ Always very happy, a very low maintenance child. Always very funny and witty,” said his mother, June, who also shared that at even at a young age he developed a talent for writing. Things quickly took at turn though, as he ventured into his teens. “He began experimenting with drugs at 14. By the time he was 19, he was a full-blown addict, and he struggled with addiction, going through long periods of sobriety interrupted by a year or two when he would be then completely gone.”

His parents shared that they had to call the police on their own child because he had shattered one of their windows, broken into their home and stole from them. At age 30, Jay died from a heroin overdose. His mother found him in the back bedroom of their home. 

“He was on the floor. She [June] knew instantly he was dead. She ran down the hall and then realized he was alone and ran back to be with Jay,” said Danny, who had been on the phone with his wife when he received the news. “He died without any money, anything. Not a penny to his name, no driver’s license. That’s what drugs do.” 

Shortly after his death, his parents found a collection of journals in his bedroom filled with poems Jay had written that delved into his addiction. June and Danny put the journal entries together, assembling a book in his memory titled, “Clearly Broken.”

“I really do believe that he left this poetry for us to find, to help other people, but also he wrote poetry to us and I think it’s a roadmap back from grief, because although it was very difficult to read and assimilate his poetry, it has helped us tremendously,” said June.

“It could happen to you and if it does, you need to be prepared to get your arms around it, but don’t ever start. This was a journey fro us to understand the nature of addiction, it is a life of pain and despair. These are people who have no hope in their lives,” said Danny. “It is touching people. Our words don’t resonate with those that are struggling, but Jay’s words resonate.”

Jay’s parents shared that as heartbreaking as it was to assemble the book, that they hope addicts, their families and friends will find the strength to pick it up and read it.

“Clearly Broken” is available online at amazon.com, or can be special ordered it through Barnes and Noble.