Joseph Basil Scorza Memorial Fund

On June 13th, 2018,  my little brother Joe unexpectedly passed away in Miami Beach,  Florida.  He was only 28 years old. Devastated by the sudden loss we're hoping to lessen the burden on my mom by setting up this page to raise money for funeral expenses.  No mother should have to bury her child.
Although forever broken, we thank you with all of our hearts!  Any donation is greatly appreciated!


My brother was a kind and caring soul.  He loved my son Logan.  He would always tell me that he lived for him.  He was gracious and the type of person to take the shirt right off his back and give it to you.  He was goofy.  He had a distinct and contagious laugh.  The love that people had for my brother was endless.
I loved him since the day he was born, he made me a big sister!





I also wanted to take this opportunity to educate people and tell the story of my brothers struggle with addiction to prescription drugs.  It is something Joe had been battling with his whole life.  In my heart I knew this was how his life was going to end, I just never knew when.  On that day, June 13th he died of an accidental drug overdose.  The darkness finally won. His body, filled with what I call a "cocktail for death", ceased to function.  His drug of choice was oxycontin, street name oxy's, which he had mixed with a hand full of other substances.  Until that day, it seemed like my brother had nine lives.  The situations he would get himself into always scared me.  I constantly worried that he might end up killing himself, or worse hurt or kill someone else.  



Oxycodone, brand name Oxycontin is a narcotic that helps to treat moderate to severe pain. Oxycodone, like other opioids, tends to induce feelings of euphoria, relaxation and reduce anxiety in those who are occasional users.  These effects make it one of the most commonly abused pharmaceutical drugs in the United States.  There is a high risk for addiction and dependence. These pills can also be crushed up, snorted, smoked and or injected.  Joe smoked them.  Using the pill in this way created a high equivalent  to shooting up heroin.  

The first clinical use of the drug dates back to 1917, and it was first introduced to the US market in 1939.  In the early 1970's, the United States government classified oxycodone as a schedule II drug meaning that it has a high potential for abuse. In 2011, Purdue Pharma modified it to make the pill more difficult to crush for snorting or injection.  Over 64,000 people die of drug overdose a year.