November 23, 2022 changed our lives forever. It was the phone call we always feared and prayed we never would get.  The call where you’re meet by the sounds of uncontrollable screaming and crying and the voice on the other line saying, He’s Gone. Michael’s Gone. 
Michael Joseph Goski, son, grandson, brother, father, cousin, nephew and friend, avid hunter, fisher, mechanic and drug addict was 32. Michael was my brother. And like my brother I myself and also an addict. But today I’m a grateful recovering addict. I wanted to save my brother. I wanted him to have the life that I had. The life free from those chains that hold you captive. That keep you from all that life has to offer and from the ones that love you the most. Michael no longer has those chains. Instead he has wings. He lost the chains and gained the wings due to an overdose less then 48 hours after being released from Marion County WV jail.  In the days that followed after losing Michael, I was driving to my job at the Treatment Center where I worked. I decided right then and there that his death will not have been for nothing. That something will come out of it and I promised Michael that as long as I drew breath he would never be forgotten. He would continue to live in through me and all those that loved him. And that would use our stories to help spread awareness and instill and inspire hope in our community. 
So with this foundation I want to begin a yearly celebration. I want to bring together all local county resources, first responders, prevention and recovery, law enforcement other addicts to help others who may be struggling or other families who have lost a loved one. And by lost , they don’t necessarily have to be gone, they may just need help to be found . And hopefully with all the support and information that can be provided along with entertainment and food and some type of activity whether it be a golf scramble or fishing tournament we as a community can help others just like Michael and Myself. We can reunite families with their loved ones. And prevent that phone call from happening!  And with the proceeds from this my family and I will be making sure that all of it goes to our local recourses, law enforcement and first responders and would like to begin a memorial scholarship in Michael’s Memory for a yearly graduate from both Buckeye Local and Edison Local High Schools who plan to further their education into the field of substance abuse education, it’s not limited to just addiction counseling, social work, law enforcement, anything directly related helping make a difference in our county. And continue to spread awareness in hopes of saving lives. Because while most people look at addicts and they see nothing, I look at them and I see my brother Michael, I see myself. I see someones loved one, I see hope!