A Blog By Madeline Foster - Once, they were warriors. 🤍

Now they are angels who remind us that we need to become champions of change.

Jordan Leigh

My daughter had a lot of friends but none quite as energetic and carefree as Jordan. Beautiful and kind, you can best describe her as an empathic social butterfly who loved to sing. Determined, ambitious and caring, some might say she loved so deeply that it wore her down at times.

Jordan could light up a room with her infectious laugh and had an extraordinary knack for making others feel special.

Dakota Sky

A black belt in Karate, wise beyond his years and glowing with the heart of a warrior, he dedicated a great deal of his youth to teaching others the ancient craft of martial arts. His passion for the sport was passed down to him by his stepfather, friend and sensei.

It takes a great deal of time, dedication and self-discipline to become a martial arts expert and although I didn’t really know Dakota as well as I would have liked, his bright smile and calm demeanour were sometimes overshadowed by the chaos that surrounded him.

Eric

A tattoo aficionado, musician, body artist and great-nephew, Eric always viewed the world from a different lens. His creativity allowed him to see the world as a blank canvas that he could manipulate and change for the better.

Pushing boundaries and always working toward showing the world that its biggest flaw is judging others, it is sad to know that perhaps he judged himself too harshly.

What do these talented young people with such diverse backgrounds all have in common?

They all had an addiction to recreational drugs which ended in tragedy.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.

Societal norms dictate that we can talk about mental illness but we cringe at the thought of talking about addiction. People rarely see addiction for what it is and this needs to change.

It is time to RISE above the stigma of this disease and bring awareness to the truth; addiction is not a choice, it is a symptom of an underlying or misdiagnosed mental illness. Death is the result of accidental dosage or use of tainted drugs.

The numbers are staggering.

In fact, this year alone, more than 180 people died in British Columbia Canada as a result of bad batches in one month alone. If that wasn’t bad enough, the coroner attributed a total of 2511 deaths in 2023 to drug usage. Addiction is a ticking time bomb that claims victims every single day.

Each of these lost loved ones was an innocent child who didn’t dream that their life would end this way. They laughed, cried, played with friends, went to school, had hobbies, and grew up like the rest of us. Some got married, had children and built amazing careers like Jordan who was a flight attendant. Then, one day life took a bad turn and drug use got in the way.

Recreational drugs are a great escape from reality and for most people, they can be harmless. However, for people struggling with depression and other mental illnesses drug use can fester and grow into a lifetime of debilitating battles. Addiction takes its toll on the body, mind and spirit because its victims feel helpless, ashamed and worthless to the point that they would rather risk death than seek help. Some doctors refer to it as a slow suicide.

By the time most addicts reach out, it is already too late because drug use claims victims on both sides; those who use them and those who care about them but who are no longer able to cope with the constant struggles of addiction.

It doesn’t have to be that way if we stop it in its tracks. Addiction cannot happen if drug use never starts. We need to stop glorifying drug use and expose it for the true monster that it is by educating young people about its harmful effects.

The Jordan Leigh Foundation will be created to honour the life and legacy of Jordan by spreading the ugly truth about addiction so that it doesn’t claim another innocent. The goal of The RISE UP Collection is to create change by promoting positive messages of hope for those who may be feeling lost or insecure and encouraging them to find healthier ways to cope.

But they cannot do it alone. It takes a village.

Are you ready to RISE UP to the challenge?