Remembering Jojo (Joseph Williams)

Sadly 3 weeks ago our family became a statistic in the ever growing number of youth suicide in NZ.

As a family we have all been affected but watching your sister grieve the tragic death of her eldest son is heartbreaking, it’s something no family ever prepares itself for not only emotionally but also financially

Joseph was 19 years young in his prime - he had a girlfriend, lots of friends he had a good job, had gotten he dream car but most importantly a family that loved him. So this is something we never expected, Joseph left behind 5 siblings 4 of which still live at home with his loving mother Wendy and stepfather Kawiti. Wendy is an amazing mother there is nothing she wouldn’t do to for her children or anyone in need, she is an active member of ‘pay it forward’ and has a special interest with the Special Olympics supporting her youngest daughter who has a disability and works as a causal support worker money was always tight before with normal costs of having a family.

Unfortunately a big part of dealing with suicide is the unexpected debt it also brings with it. We have looked into grants to try and help lessen this so they can concentrate on being able to grieve without the added stress but unfortunately there are none available for this family

It pains us to ask but this is a burden our family cannot tackle alone anymore. We will be forever grateful for any support.