Road to Recovery
Donation protected
This is my brother Zach Schmidt.
He has a way of making people feel at home, his personality is infectious, and he has the talent and fearlessness to make his music endeavors come true.
I remember us being super close when we were kids, I remember always enjoying spending time with him. But that was very short lived as we got older. As the outside world seen Zach as an outgoing, fun-loving spirit, being an easy target for bullying, he often released a lot of his frustrations on me, estranging our relationship.
At some point, Zach turned to substance abuse to cope with life. For the past four years, he has been struggling with an addiction to heroin. He has overdosed 4 times in the past year and a half.
On 3/31/2018 Zach went missing for 5 days. After an intense search, he was found in bad condition at St. John's Hospital in Detroit, MI. He had blood clotting in his legs and arms, and prior to the day we found him, he was in a drug-induced coma for 4 days. The day he went missing, he had taken a cocktail of opiates and prescription drugs that immediately put him into respiratory arrest.
If an ambulance was not called that day, he would not have survived.
Not that any of his other overdoses were any less scary or traumatizing, this event has made it apparent to me that this is not only an extreme case of addiction but also an extreme case of mental illness. He was recently diagnosed with bipolar/depression, and never really learned how to cope with it. Zach is unable to rationally think through hardships or his emotions. To him, rejection, stress, and negativity is the end of his world. With that being said, the addiction and the bullying all makes sense.
So I am here asking for your help. Despite the hardships that Zach's addiction has brought to my family and myself, he is family and deserves a chance to have a fulfilling life. This week my frustrations and resentment turned to empathy and understanding. To think that if this past situation could have ended with me ever having a chance to rekindle our relationship, that he would have endured a terrible death alone, in a lonely place broke my heart, and I would never wish that on anyone.
Zach is currently recovering from his recent overdose, and is scheduled to receive intensive outpatient, and is set up with a peer coach. We are looking into sending Zach to a long-term inpatient program to ensure that he has the best chance at recovery.
The faster we raise funds, the faster we can put together a realistic plan. We are looking to raise a minimum of 2500$ to ensure that Zach receives the best care that he so desperately needs. So far we have two inpatient options we are researching:
1st Step Recovery in Florida or Brighton Recovery here in Michigan. Your donation will ensure that Zach has all of the resources he needs to make either of these options happen seamlessly. This will help us ensure that he gets the best dual program treatment that will help him recover from addiction and cope with mental illness.
Any donations will be greatly appreciated, and I will make sure to keep you updated on his progress!
He has a way of making people feel at home, his personality is infectious, and he has the talent and fearlessness to make his music endeavors come true.
I remember us being super close when we were kids, I remember always enjoying spending time with him. But that was very short lived as we got older. As the outside world seen Zach as an outgoing, fun-loving spirit, being an easy target for bullying, he often released a lot of his frustrations on me, estranging our relationship.
At some point, Zach turned to substance abuse to cope with life. For the past four years, he has been struggling with an addiction to heroin. He has overdosed 4 times in the past year and a half.
On 3/31/2018 Zach went missing for 5 days. After an intense search, he was found in bad condition at St. John's Hospital in Detroit, MI. He had blood clotting in his legs and arms, and prior to the day we found him, he was in a drug-induced coma for 4 days. The day he went missing, he had taken a cocktail of opiates and prescription drugs that immediately put him into respiratory arrest.
If an ambulance was not called that day, he would not have survived.
Not that any of his other overdoses were any less scary or traumatizing, this event has made it apparent to me that this is not only an extreme case of addiction but also an extreme case of mental illness. He was recently diagnosed with bipolar/depression, and never really learned how to cope with it. Zach is unable to rationally think through hardships or his emotions. To him, rejection, stress, and negativity is the end of his world. With that being said, the addiction and the bullying all makes sense.
So I am here asking for your help. Despite the hardships that Zach's addiction has brought to my family and myself, he is family and deserves a chance to have a fulfilling life. This week my frustrations and resentment turned to empathy and understanding. To think that if this past situation could have ended with me ever having a chance to rekindle our relationship, that he would have endured a terrible death alone, in a lonely place broke my heart, and I would never wish that on anyone.
Zach is currently recovering from his recent overdose, and is scheduled to receive intensive outpatient, and is set up with a peer coach. We are looking into sending Zach to a long-term inpatient program to ensure that he has the best chance at recovery.
The faster we raise funds, the faster we can put together a realistic plan. We are looking to raise a minimum of 2500$ to ensure that Zach receives the best care that he so desperately needs. So far we have two inpatient options we are researching:
1st Step Recovery in Florida or Brighton Recovery here in Michigan. Your donation will ensure that Zach has all of the resources he needs to make either of these options happen seamlessly. This will help us ensure that he gets the best dual program treatment that will help him recover from addiction and cope with mental illness.
Any donations will be greatly appreciated, and I will make sure to keep you updated on his progress!
Organizer
Ally Rose
Organizer
Saint Clair Shores, MI
