I am creating this go fund me page in honor of my oldest brother, Patrick Cowan, AKA "Ricky", who passed away January 24, 2023. I am his little sister and don't have much to contribute to his burial, so I decided to share my story.

My brother Patrick, fell victim to this rapid spreading epidemic that is killing hundreds of people everyday, across America, who struggle with addiction. His misfortune of playing Russian roulette, hoping his next hit won't be the last, was for him. Patrick was 56 years old and blessed with a daughter and three grandkids who loved him. My brother was loved by everyone in his life. He never judged anyone and had a personality that was out of this world. But the world outweighed the balance and landed a lot on his plate. He struggled with addiction for many years and his demons always seemed to get the best of him. Everyone who knew him, knew that when he did good, he did really good, but when he relapsed, it was the one thing we never could prepare ourselves for. After winding up incarcerated, and having served his sentence he faced the real world once again which seemed to be too much for him to handle. Things changed since he'd been gone and recreational drugs weren't the same as it was before.

My mother is our only living parent and now she has to deal with not only her own health, but she has to do what no parent ever prepares to do, and that's to bury her first born child. Due to the circumstances of the economy my brother Patrick would love the fact that I have created this go fund me page, not only to educate others on his behalf, but to reduce the financial stresses that funeral expenses seem to create during these times. He wouldn't want anyone such as myself to fall into debt by trying to send him away as he would have wished.

I would like to close with, millions of people are suffering the loss of their loved ones, You Are Not Alone. We should all come to the conclusion and face the facts that we as a nation, in addition to the world, all know that addiction is something that you must not play with. It takes just one dose of the drug to end your life and my brother didn't deserve to be taken away from us, not so soon and not like that. My brother was loved by so many people, and those who were closest to him will miss him the most. He will always be remembered for all the good memories, the good times and all the fun times he shared together with family and friends. PATRICK MAY YOU FINALLY REST IN PEACE. I LOVE YOU!

The money that I raise will be used for funeral and travel expenses for family members who aren't able to purchase a ticket to come to California so that we can send my brother off, together. Part of the proceeds will be donated to NIDA National Institute of Drug Abuse in Patricks honor, on my behalf.

To learn about how the justice system is not so just after all continue reading the following information that provides more information on what some states are doing to reduce the deaths of recently released inmates by clicking the link below.

So I created this page to not only educate others regarding efforts that other states have introduced to the jails in order to save lives, but also in hope that the state of California will someday be among the few states who are concerned enough to protect the lives of those who struggle with addiction, create more treatment options for people who have addictions and have alternate ways to serve their sentences according to their needs, safety and educational needs.

It is unfortunate that California hasn't adopted the bill that a handful of states, such as North Carolina, have adopted which has been proven to save lives of those who have addictions by safely preparing them for their release. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2018/12/07/opioids/ How some states are saving lives

The opiate epidemic including Fentanyl laced recreational drugs, have consumed so many lives following their release from jail leaving their families in mourning. This epidemic has become a common household discussion as parents educate their families with this awareness. These recreational and prescription drugs often result in death for young teenagers, people with addictions or even for people trying the drug for the first time, not to mention the percentage of people who are released from jail have a higher risk of becoming another statistic.

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2018/12/07/opioids/