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Josh's Lifestory
Joshua Sam Kresser was born at 4:28 p.m. on September 29, 1981 at St Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT. He was born one minute after his twin brother Jake and weighed only 3 pounds 15 ounces. Jake weighed 6 pounds 10 ounces.
Jake and Josh are fraternal twins and are as different as night and day. Josh was always very social and outgoing and Jake was very shy. Their differences always complimented each other. If Jake was hesitant in a new situation Josh would take him by the hand and in they would go. If Josh was struggling with school or homework Jake was right there to help him.
Josh loved all sports and was very active. He played tee-ball, basketball, soccer and baseball. He was always up for a game of street hockey. In later years he loved to golf and bowl with his family and friends. He had a passion for music and loved listening to his favorite bands.
Josh had lots of friends and people were drawn to him. He had a wonderful and unique sense of humor. He had the ability to put a smile on anyone's face. At the same time he was very sensitive and reached out to those around him who were having a hard time. He tried to do what he could to encourage and help others.
When Josh was 22 he hurt his back at work and after going to physical therapy his doctor prescribed some very powerful narcotics. Four days after receiving the prescription for Oxycontin, he overdosed for the first time. A nurse at the hospital e.r. was so angry that any doctor would give these type of pain meds to a 22 year old. She said that this doctor almost ended his life before it began. Those words proved to be so prophetic. Josh overdosed a total of five times and spent over 404 days in active treatment over a 2 1/2 year period of time. He tried very hard to break the chains of his disease but in the end was unable to overcome it.
We, his family tried to do everything in our power to help Josh. He spent 9 1/2 months in inpatient treatment. He would come out of treatment and we would be cautiously optimistic that Josh was going to get his miracle and overcome his addiction. Sadly, this miracle was not to happen here in this life. We do know that Josh is whole and healthy and healed now. We are grateful that he and his Papou (grandfather) are together. They used to promise each other that they were both going to get better - and now they are.
In alot of ways Josh never really had a chance because there were too many doctors more than willing to give him narcotics - even though they knew his history.
On September 30, 2006 at 1:00 pm (PT) Josh passed away in his sleep from a lethal combination of ativan, soma and vicodin - all prescribed to him. None of the levels were toxic but the combination is what proved fatal. The ativan was being closely monitored by his psychiatrist. The other doctor knew his full history of addiction, multiple rehabs and that he was on ativan.......he chose to prescribe narcotics to him anyway. Josh was living in Costa Mesa, California in a recovery house at the time of his death. Josh passed away one day after he and Jake celebrated their 25th birthday.
Jake and his wife Carrie escorted Josh's body back home to Salt Lake on Wednesday, October 4th, exactly 25 years from the date that we first brought these two precious little boys home from the hospital. Josh's funeral was two days later and he is buried next to his sweet Papou.
His heartbroken family and friends are devastated by the loss of this sweet young man who never really got a chance to begin his life. His death has left a permanent hole in the lives of all who knew and loved him. The world truly is a sadder place without him here with us.
Josh's ultimate goal was to help others struggling with addiction if he could have ever gotten far enough away from it. We intend to do everything that we can to acheive his goal for him. We talk to anyone and everyone who will listen about the dangers of prescription drugs. We have set up an endowment fund in Josh's name to help defer the costs of one young person a year dealing with addiction. The name of the fund is: The Joshua Sam Kresser Endowment Fund at UNI (University Neuropsychiatric Institute) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
We love sharing and hearing stories about Josh. If you have one you would like to share with us we would love to hear it. Josh truly was a wonderful, unique, sensitive and caring young man who spread so much joy all around him. We will love and miss him always. May his memory be eternal.
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