Michael was a beautiful, sensitive and caring soul. He freely forgave others, did not hold grudges and he never talked about others in a negative way. Michael was gifted and so full of potential. Michael was recovering from five years of drug addiction. The addiction was the effect of a horrible automobile accident, which killed his girlfriend Kristen and her best friend Lanisha. Michael was only 17 at the time. He was a passenger in the vehicle; his life was inexplicably spared that night because the passengers side of the car, where he was sitting, was completely caved in. The scene was a gruesome one. Michael survived physically, but the mental trauma was too much for him. He experienced survivors guilt; he felt responsible for the accident and was heartbroken. Somehow he still managed to keep that precious smile on his face no matter what he was going through. About six months prior to his death, Michael found love again. He met a girl who made him happy and whom he had made plans to marry in March 2007; he died December 10, 2006. He was 22 years of age. Michael was really trying to turn his life around. He began to attend church, something he had not done in the past. The day before he died, he made several phone calls trying to get something for his nerves. He found the Methadone that took his life. Michael had a pending legal matter from his past that was causing him some anxiety. It was not uncommon for Michael to take drugs when faced with a problem. It was highly unusual for him to take Methadone. I, nor any of his friends, had known of him to take Methadone in the past. Michael had no alcohol or other drugs in his system. Except for a small trace of xanax (a drug used for anxiety and depression), most likely from a period greater than 24 hours prior to his death. The only drug really noted was the Methadone. The level found can be assumed to be a therapeutic dose as well as a lethal dose. Michael survived the accident and all the years of drug abuse. I never expected him to die after all we had been through. My life has been changed; I will never be the person I once was. There are no words in any language that describe the devastation and emptiness left behind. This has shattered my life and that of my family. Michael died on a Sunday morning, on somebody else's sofa, alone. He was seen at 7:00 a.m. making a gurgling sound. Three hours later he was seen taking his last breaths. Nobody had a clue he was dying. I wish I could have been there to hold him and tell him how much he was loved.