Jesse James Duggan

May 1998 - May 2021
It has been a year since we lost you to an accidental overdose at the age of 22 - we had hoped you would get better, we hoped you would overcome, and now we have no hope. We only have grief and the small comfort of knowing that the acute pain you felt in this world has ended for you. We are still here remembering with unimaginable sorrow, and sometimes rage, all the ways you were let down in this life - and for that we are truly sorry. Let your loss be a reminder to your peers just how dangerous their world can be now. Let your loss remind health care workers that mental health and addiction is just as critical as physical ailments.
We focus on how you lived and not how you died. We miss you terribly - the happy baby who loved everyone so openly, the bright toddler who loved story time and could recite the entirety of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas from memory, the funny kid who always made his friends laugh and loved all animals; who loved to fish and hike and swim and play air-soft in the woods. We remember the baseball player who never struck out - your hand-eye coordination was certainly a talent to behold! We remember your love for your little brother and your excitement about becoming a big brother. We remember the teen who loved the outdoors, graphic novels, gaming with friends online. and heading to Port Dover for mini vacations with Murphys or to Lorimer Lake with dad for some rest and relaxation. You were always so organized with your belongings - a real clothes hound - and were keenly helpful with gardening and household chores. We remember your joy and excitement about finally getting some first cousins added to your life - and you loved them so well! You could make the most savoury snacks with your smoker and enjoyed surprising your family with a prepared-by-Jesse dinner. We remember so many wonderful things. Your life held great beauty. You were here and you were so loved. You still are. Words are an inadequate means of expressing how we all feel after our first year spent without you. We are simply heart broken and that will never change, but we take comfort in knowing your soul has no limits...
We would all like to thank those in our family and community who have been steadfast in their comfort and support over the past year. We received innumerable cards and messages expressing shared love and loss. Your words meant so much to us. We received flowers, all kinds of food, memorial tress, and donations to Cystic Fibrosis Canada and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Jesse's name. We are so grateful for all that was done for us in the wake of our initial shock and for the kindness that continues today in the form of gentleness and the willingness to let us talk about Jesse. Hearing his name and reliving the good memories means the world to us.
Jesse, you are forever remembered by mom (Kelly), dad (Tim), grandma Louise, nana Penny, papa Jon and Shell, Finn and Ashtyn, auntie Alex and Dave, uncle Thom, and your beloved first cousins Hannah and Evelyn, plus so many dear friends and extended family. If love alone could have saved you, you'd be here with us today. We love you forever.