Diane Norris-Hounschell’s Son
Dear <strong>First</strong> <strong>Lady</strong> <strong>Maria</strong> <strong>Lee</strong>, My name is Diane Norris-Hounschell, and I lost my only son, Joshua Daniel Weaver to fentanyl poisoning on October 4, 2022. My son was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and, through no fault of his own, the medication either made him a zombie or made him violent. We discontinued the meds by age 13. He struggled with school most of his school years, either getting expelled or failing. He made it to high school, and in January of his senior year he found out that his diploma would be a Special Ed diploma and decided it would do him no good, so he signed himself out of school. Josh was such a kind-hearted person with some severe mental concerns that he could not work through, so he turned to alcohol and pain pills, until those quit working or couldn't af<strong>for</strong>d them. He then turned to meth and heroin <strong>for</strong> a cheap high. He eventually got married and had three little boys but lost his family due to his drug use. After becoming homeless and many overdoses later, he decided it was time <strong>for</strong> help. My baby got himself a bed set up at Journey Pure and stayed 32 days and then went to a halfway house. His first night there he was trying to work things out with his wife, but she refused him, so he went right back to the streets. He felt we were pushing him too hard to get better, so he wouldn’t talk to us and avoided us when we saw him out walking the streets. The last time I saw him was September 24, 2022. I came out of a little thrift store, and he was leaning against my car. He immediately started arguing with me. He was in such a bad place; it broke my heart. On October 4th, 2022, at 5:15 p.m. my phone rang. It was my husband's friend, so I just passed the phone to him. When I saw my husband's face, I knew something was wrong. He called to say that a guy named Jacob told him he thinks Josh is dead. I immediately left to go find some answers. My son's lifelong friend rode with me. At the scene I was directed to a dilapidated shed where I found my baby boy lying dead on an old dirty mattress. I just collapsed and fell over my son's body. I remained there until the police officer dragged me off him. I knew in my heart that someone gave him fentanyl. That was confirmed when I got the autopsy report: fentanyl poisoning. I have not been right since. I suffer nightmares, panic attacks, PTSD, along with many other medical issues. I am just falling to pieces. I want to say thank you <strong>for</strong> reading my angel's story. Please help us to build a Memorial Wall in honor of our loved ones who have been victims of the drug epidemic. Sincerely, Diane Norris-Hounschell – Josh’s mom; <strong>for</strong>ever 31 Knoxville, <strong>Tennessee</strong>