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Whether playing his baritone in the
high school band, playing guitar at
church, attending concerts, or just
jamming out with friends, David
loved music. Over the years, he
received several music awards,
including “Outstanding Soloist” and
the “Semper Fidelis” award for
musical excellence, given to him
just weeks before he died.
The thing that continues to inspire us about David’s
life is that he cared about how he
lived and he valued people. He was
passionate about the outdoors, had
so many people he looked up to, and
was making plans for the immediate
and distant future. David lived a
very active life and rarely sat
still except to sit in a deer stand
or watch a movie with his
girlfriend, Carrie. He was an avid
hunter and loved to camp out at our
farm with friends. Spending time in
nature gave David great personal
pleasure and he often talked about
the moments he enjoyed there, alone
with God. Everyone close to David
appreciated his witty, sarcastic
sense of humor. He had a very close
relationship with our youth pastor,
loved spending time with his younger
brother, and had a deep faith in
Jesus Christ. One of the things
people will remember most about
David is his loyalty and enthusiasm
for the Green Bay Packers and Brett
Favre; something he commemorated
with a “4” tattooed on his back
shoulder.
David was
like any other kid graduating from
high school. He was stressed out by
life at times and disagreed with his
family now and then. The future
wasn’t always clear and life wasn’t
always perfect, but he continued to
have dreams and make plans. He
continued to enjoy life. There were
projects and events that he was
excited about, and he was looking
forward to attending the University
of Northern Iowa, where he would
study business and share a dorm room
with one of his best friends from
high school.
So…where
did it all go wrong? How did a
bright kid with a promising future
find himself in such a devastating
situation?
The days
surrounding David’s graduation
ceremony and open house were just as
anyone would expect. He was on cloud
nine and having fun celebrating with
family and friends. His girlfriend’s
family was having a graduation party
for her in the St. Louis area the
weekend following graduation, so
David left early Saturday morning,
driving six hours to join them for
the party.
He knew
that we would be at the Iowa
Barnstormer game that night so we
texted throughout the game, checking
on scores and discussing plays. He
also told us what an awesome time he
was having with Carrie’s family,
playing with their homemade potato
gun, and he insisted that we make
one as soon as he returned home.
David and Carrie rode back to
Indianola together Sunday afternoon,
and spent some time at her house
talking about the summer. Her family
recently sold their home and David
was going to mow their lawn until
the new owners could move in, so
they spent some time getting that
plan in place.
After
leaving Carrie’s house, David met a
group of his friends who were
planning on attending some
graduation parties together. They
were all in a celebratory mood,
having just graduated from high
school. Apparently, some college
students who were home for the
summer told the boys about a legal
substance called K2 that is smoked
like marijuana. It could be easily
purchased in stores and a few of the
guys had purchased some that weekend
at a local mall. Despite a sincere
attempt by one of his friends to
stop him, David smoked the K2 anyway
and ninety minutes later, he was
dead.
Unaware of
his K2 use, we began to do what any
family would do. Immediately and
desperately, we searched for an
explanation. Why? Why would David
take his own life? What warning
signs did we miss? Questions
spiraled, but answers could not be
found.
Two days
after his death, on Tuesday
afternoon, we learned David had
smoked K2 with his friends just
before he returned home Sunday
afternoon. The more we learn about
the substance and read about the
experiences of others, the more we
understand what happened that night.
This knowledge does not bring David
back and it certainly hasn’t made
our pain go away, but it confirms
our gut instinct that David never
planned to die that night. David was
mentally and physically attacked by
the K2, causing hallucinations,
unimaginable anxiety, and loss of
his ability to reason. If he and his
friends had known then what we know
now, they never would have smoked
the stuff. We are firmly convinced
that David would still be alive
today had he not smoked K2.
We are a
typical family and as any parent of
teenagers knows, these are not easy
times to raise a family. We’re far
from perfect and thought we had all
the conversations families are
supposed to have…sex, drugs,
drinking, texting while driving, you
name it. But, we didn’t talk about
what we didn’t know. It is so
important that parents talk to their
kids about the danger of ingesting
anything that isn’t fully known and
regulated...legal or not. When K2 is
gone, something else – maybe even
more dangerous – will be waiting to
take its place so it is vital we
talk to our kids.
Please
learn from David’s story. He was a
good, fun-loving, Christian kid with
plans for the future, and all of his
plans and potential were shattered
by one bad decision. Nothing in the
police investigation substantiates
the idea that David was suicidal.
Our Chief of Police even wrote a
letter to the Iowa Pharmacy Board
stating that their investigation
showed no signs of David being
suicidal. Nothing indicates a
lifestyle or mindset that we didn’t
know about. One week before his
death David was shopping for a
computer for college. A few days
before his death, he placed a bow on
hold at Bass Pro Shop for fall deer
hunting season. Just a few hours
before his death, he made plans to
play video games with his brother
later that evening. After his death,
when cleaning out the bed of his
truck, we discovered PVC parts David
had purchased to make his own potato
gun.
It’s easy
for people to read about David’s
death in the newspaper or on the
internet and make assumptions about
his life and about our family. And,
quite frankly, people are free to do
so. However, what happened the
evening of June 6, 2010 doesn’t even
come close to defining who David
was. A more accurate snapshot of who
he was is the picture of thousands
of people standing in line at his
visitation, some waiting for 2 to 3
hours, to pay their respects and
share stories in celebration of his
life. We pray that David’s legacy
will be found in the way he enjoyed
life and, most importantly, in the
lives that might be saved because of
his story.
* * *
"I have told you these things, so
that in me you may
have peace. In this world you will
have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world." John
16:33 |
