My goal with this blog is to share my journey and feelings, as well as some information about Carson’s Village. I have to admit, all of this is new to me. If you haven’t already figured it out, I have never written a blog, so work with me here. I will not pretend to be something I’m not here and at times writing and reading this will be extremely difficult. My hope is we can all learn a little, come together and create something that we didn’t know was needed until April of 2017. A Village for those who are dealing with the sudden, unexpected loss of a loved one.
If you think about it, we all have a village. We all have friends or colleagues that are better at certain tasks than we are. Car trouble? Call your mechanic friend. Investment advice? You call your buddy who is better managing money than you. We reach out to our village more than we probably imagine. This blog for example is one of those situations where I wished I could reach out to one of my villagers for help, but this is my task and I’m going to find my way.
Like so many other people who are connected to Carson’s parents (my friends Jason and April), I was placed on a different path last year. A path we did not expect or ever even consider as a possibility, and one that any of us will never fully understand. In an instant, everything changed, and we no longer look at the world in quite the same way.
Carson was an incredible, kind and loving 11 year old. Those of us who knew him sensed that he was one of those young people who has the potential to change the world for the better. When we lost him, we were not only devastated because we saw our friends, April and Jason in so much pain, but also because we assumed that Carson’s passing was the end of his story. Now, we know that his story is in fact far from over, and that his potential to change the world around him will be carried out through the organization that bears his name, Carson’s Village. Our hope is to help as many people as possible in honor of Carson’s memory—and with your support, we’re confident that we can do many wonderful things.
In perhaps the worst way possible, April and Jason learned that there is no brochure that tells you what to do after being gut-punched by the sudden loss of a loved one—but there should be. There’s no helpful 1-800 number that connects you with someone who’s “been there” and can show you the ropes—but there should be. When they made the courageous decision to transform their loss into an opportunity to help other people navigate an incredibly difficult experience, I knew I wanted to support them in this important effort. It’s an honor to be a member of Carson’s Village—and I look forward to keeping you informed about our progress (and how you can help).
John Paschall, Carson’s Village Board of Directors (and a member of Carson’s Village)