Taj and Najee Callender

Some say lightning doesn’t strike twice but it does. At least it does in our family. Our hearts are broken that we lost 2 young men - Taj and Najee Callender to fentanyl overdoses within a three year period. These young men were identical twins who were kind, charming, and extremely musically talented. They were introduced to drugs at an early age and fell victim to not understanding the seriousness of their addiction.

When Taj overdosed in 2021, he was discovered by Najee who could never forget seeing his brother that way. From Taj’s death, Najee struggled to find his footing in life but he still encouraged others to be their best selves.

Najee left this life on January 9th at 24 and Taj left this life at 21. Never experienced having a family, traveling outside of the US, or living independently.

As a celebration of their lives my family would like to travel to Los Angeles where they both spent time to spread their remains. In lieu of flowers, we ask that friends and family support us by sponsoring our journey to the West Coast. We need time to grieve and bond over this tragedy.

The story doesn’t end here as our family plans to speak about our loss to others and bring awareness to this horrible epidemic that has impacted too many of our youth.

Thank you for your love and acts of kindness.