Joshua Paul Knight, 22, from Canal Fulton, took his last breath suddenly in the early morning of Thursday, September 28, 2017 cause of death is suspected to be a drug overdose, but as of now the cause of death has not been determined. Joshua Knight was born June 29th, 1995, Akron, Ohio. He graduated Northwest High school and resided at home with his parents and 5 siblings until his heroin use took him on a different journey. Joshua was a kindhearted, giving human being, that loved to laugh. He had a gentle spirit, and loved his family with all his heart. He loved to watch The Office over and over and over again as he continued to laugh at the same jokes. He also thought he was a movie critique, which resulted in him ruining a lot of movies for the rest of us! Josh loved animals and they could sense his gentleness. If a joke could be made in any situation, I guarantee you it would be, he was not lacking in sarcasm. Josh loved his siblings and more than once went to battle for them. He also loved his parents, he respected his father immensely and loved his momma with his whole heart. Josh was the peacekeeper of the Knight clan. He grew up loving Star Wars, playing baseball, and riding his bike. He was the the second eldest of 6 and he was always caring for one of the littles, or helping his mom around the house. Josh didn't have any enemies because there was not a mean bone in his body. Unfortunately Josh also had an addictive personality, and when heroin came into the picture after high school our lives as we knew them would never be the same. Josh wanted more than anything to just live a "normal" life. To get a small apartment, work a job, spend time with his family. He tried so hard to beat this monstrous demon known as heroin. He willingly went to several different rehabs and did very well until trying to find the aftercare/transitional piece. That is usually where we would lose him again. The battle in his head never stopped. Addiction is a chronic brain disorder. The brain becomes the person's worst enemy. Addiction causes distortion in how a person thinks and behaves, it is not a choice. 2.1 million Americans suffer from addiction right now. The closest Josh came to this normalcy was a few months back in Columbus, Ohio, after an overdose, Josh entered a detox, and then rehab that he was very successful with. He then began the transitional piece which in the past was always the hardest for him, but he was successful yet again. He was staying at the sober house affiliated with the rehab. He found a full time job and was working every day, attending IOP in the evenings and feeling very excited and proud of himself, and so were we. Our private insurance paid for the rehab and IOP, and Josh paid the rent portion for the sober house. He was finally making it, He was beating this, he found something that was working! During this time Josh was on probation from charges he received from another overdose. The counselor was working with the court and sending over weekly reports of his success and also taking him to the Summit County court for any needed appointments. He was assigned a new judge after the 1st of the year and this new Judge said and I quote "If you can stay clean there than you can stay clean here" She ruled that he come back to summit county and complete a year long county program funded completely by the taxpayers. He was devastated, I was outraged. How and why would the court take a successful person working a successful program completely funded by him/and his insurance and force him back into the same city where he was not strong enough to yet be. His probation officer and public defender were even shocked at this decision. He had to quit his job and find a new sober house and start all over in the city he didn't even feel strong enough to drive through, let alone live there. He knew the triggers there were too much for him. This was the last time Josh had a substantial amount of clean time, and it was gone within a matter of days after being forced to leave the sober community he had been able to find success at. The judge, and our broken system ripped him from a healthy environment, so that he could come back to his hometown, forced to live as a homeless person, and start all over again. It was not long after that, that Josh chose to leave the state. He was using again and he did not want his family to see him that way, nor did he want to face prison charges. He was stuck in a broken system. He felt he was toxic to his loved ones and should stay away until he could find sobriety again. He felt so much guilt for not being a better role model to them, but the truth is they each loved him dearly, and unconditionally. Josh can not be brought back but changes can be made so that other lives are saved. Drug overdoses kills more people than gun violence and car accidents. I beg of you to write your congressman and demand change. I feared the knock on the door, yet I never thought it would actually happen. I thought he would beat this monster, but in the end he lost the battle, and we lost our beloved, son and brother. You and your loved ones are not exempt from this epidemic. Please make calls, write letters, and demand change! Josh spent the last few months of his life, homeless and living out of his car. I ask that you soften your heart, show kindness, and empathy to one or many of the lost souls you see struggling every day. They are more than what you see. They are a lost soul with a story, and a family, trying to find their way back home. I hope that many will be touched and saved through our sweet Joshua's story.

Joshua Paul Knight is survived by his father, Shawn; mother, Kimberly; brother, Jackson (24); brother, Lucas (20); brother, Matthias (18); brother, Samuel (17); sister, Rebekah (16); paternal grandmother, Eva; maternal grandmother, Marilyn; maternal grandfather, Dallas; Uncle and Aunt, Dan and Shelia; uncle and aunt, John and Cindy; uncle, Larry; aunt, Pam; uncle and aunt, Kevin and Donna; cousin, Sarah; cousin, Anna; cousin, Eden; cousin, Conor; cousin, Silas; cousin, Emily; cousin, Caleb; cousin, Jonas; cousin, Carly.

The Family will receive friends on Saturday, October 7th 2017, at Highpoint Christian Church, 2545 W. Comet Rd., Clinton, OH 44216 from the hours of 12-2:30pm. The service will begin at 2:30 pm with the burial at Canal Fulton Cemetery to follow after.

Friends and family can gather at Occasions Party Centre, 6800 Manchester Rd, New Franklin, OH 44216 following the burial service.

In lieu of flowers we request that a donation be made in Joshua's name to Life Upcycled. This is a new sober living home, that will fill in a much needed gap in our recover system. It will provide a sober living environment, while the individual also learns a skilled trade to make transitioning back into society a success.

Life Upcycled

1010 S. Water St.

Kent, OH 44240

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