Zach's Story

 

Anita Davis with her three boys, Zachary standing tall behind her, Abi now 28 and Jonathan 24. Zachary would be 37.

Zachary lives in heaven.

Zachary wanted to leave them, tried to leave them behind but the drugs refused to leave him.                 

They followed Zach, wherever he went.

 

THE DRUGS!!!!!   ----- causing silent destruction of our communities.

 

 

I was 18 when I had Zachary. Professionals suggested I give him up for adoption. “He would have a better life than I could give him” ___ There was no question in my mind that he would always be mine. I decided to raise him, love him and guide him. When Zachary was 2, his father and I divorced. I guess statistics does not lie when it comes to marrying so young and immature.

 

I had great family support. My immediate and extended family lived near by. I was a waitress and Zachary went t daycare. He loved playing with friends. He had so much energy, intelligence and high spirit. I met my husband Brinley when Zach was 8. We were married and Brinley adopted Zach. I could not have been happier that I had a very energetic, fun loving 10 year old. He loved sports, especially baseball. He was a boy scout and active in the church youth group.

 

 

 

 

Carving Pumpkin was very special to Zach each Thanksgiving.

 

 

Zach loved baseball.

 

It all changed when Zach was 12. The happy mom like me, and happy child like Zach  never knew what was ahead when we said buy-buy to each other on the first day of his middle school. Now Zach had new group of friends. I am not blaming behavior directly on the friends, but kids can be easily influenced around this age.

 

It started with a smoke bomb in the library. Unfortunately the school chose to file charges and Zachary went to the detention center.

 

I worked diligently with a private counselor. The doctor had Zach on ADD medicine. We had an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) at the school. He was in a special class for kids with behavior issues. But there were signs that Zachary was using drugs. I only know this after looking back. At the time I did not know that you could get high from huffing white out or you could “black out” after downing a bottle of cough syrup. And this in addition to smoking Pot.

 

There was a difference in his appearance. My energetic, fun loving Zachary was very sullen and private now, my well dressed boy scout stopped caring about his clothes and his personal hygiene.

 

Zachary was around 15 when he and a friend ran away from home. They had stolen drugs and ran away to Arkansas. Now he was facing felony and could be sent to prison for years. I found a place in Montana for troubled teens called Spring Creek Lodge. The place sounded promising but it was 18 months of neglect, in spite of my trying to do everything possible.

 

Over the years I did what I believed was best for my son. Dealing with guilt over what I could have done differently or cues I might have missed along the way was very difficult. Could we have made tougher decisions? And we did! Zach stole from his grandparents in desperation for drug money. We pressed charges. Zach was locked up for 18 months.

 

Zach had incredible artistic talent, and in spite of his background history Pittsburgh College of Art and Design accepted him in their program after Zack was released. He was doing extremely well in the beginning but the drugs followed him wherever he went.

 

On December 21, 2001 he was in an awful car accident. He was with his friends. He almost died in the hospital. For pain he was given Oxycontin! When doctor weaned him of Oxycontin, Zach went crazy. Till then I had no idea how powerful this drug was and how difficult it would be for a drug addict to quit. I really don’t think I considered him a drug addict at that time. However after that Oxycontin episode he decided to move back to Pittsburgh. I thought he had friends there and could get back to school.

 

Within few months one of his friends called me and said he was afraid for Zachary’s life because he was on heroin. That conversation shook me to the core. Heroin!  ___ the word I believed was SO FAR from my family, from my son. I always thought that heroin was something that people used on skid row. People who had nothing, used heroin. I was wrong!

 

This is one of the reasons now that I believe so strongly that parents and kids need Education.

 

Zachary wanted to get better. But every rehab effort got reversed as soon as he was feeling better, starting the downward spiral again.

 

It was the Fall of 2005, Zachary was worst than he was ever been. My family and I did not know what the future held. He overdosed himself right before his birthday in September. He came home and tried to get better. His girlfriend Lindsey called me on November 13^th. She told me that they had had falling out the day before and she did not stay at the cabin. She called to tell me that Zachary was not “looking right”. I drove out to find my son crouched on the floor of his cabin DEAD!           

 

 

 

I took a little while to decide what to do with myself  as a result of losing my son. I was encouraged by a news journalist to share my story in our local newspaper. That was very difficult. I rarely spoke of Zach’s addiction with any one other than my family and closest friends. I was ashamed and embarrassed. I was convinced that things like this don’t happen to “Good Families”. In that article I wrote that if any family is going through a similar situation with drugs, and wanted to talk, then I would have a get together. The response was overwhelming. I barely had enough room at the house for all the people. That encouraged me to start Analon group for family friends with an addict. The group still meets. People still contact me all the time wanting help with their loved one. The Analon group is the first place I direct them. I truly believe that parents need to be educated first to know what they are dealing with.

 

Next I contacted schools, offered to come and talk with students about the dangers of drugs. I created Zachary Davis Memorial Foundation. By this time I have talked to thousands of kids in school districts all over Tuscarawas, Carroll, Stark and Coshocton counties. Times have changed since I began talking with kids. Children are exposed to drugs at a very young age. Many have family members or friends who are addicts. They see the effects drugs have, not only on the user but on the family as well.

 

                                                                                              

 

I believe in this generation. I believe they want to see a change in this drug epidemic. The Zachary Davis Memorial Foundation offers scholarships to High School students going into Social Work, Psychology or Counseling. The Foundation buys educational materials, T-shirts, and stickers to give away to the students. It also contributes towards local non profits who are dedicated to empowering and helping our youth succeed in life.

 

My website is www.zachsstory.org  am thankful for the support of many people along the way.

 

Thank You.

Anita Davis.