Chemin Joy Reddy Memorial Fund
On August 18th, 2018, the life of Chemin Joy Reddy ended in an unimaginable tragedy. Chemin was a beautiful and loving mother of three young children, and her absence creates a void that will be impossible to fill.
Here is Chemin's Story, as written collaboratively by her family:
As a young girl, Chemin discovered music and dance. Her creativity and artistic spirit shone through everything he did. She took dance lessons. She was so graceful. She danced with the North Carolina Dance Company in the Nutcracker Ballet. She had a beautiful voice, and she loved to paint and create collages. Her parents always told her that she could become anything she wanted to be. She was so talented. So capable.
(Sisters, Jamila Reddy on the left, and Chemin Reddy on the right.)
As a teenager, Chemin began struggling with depression and other mental-health challenges. These challenges continued as a student at Bennett College and intensified after she became pregnant with Joseph, her firstborn.
Initially, she was determined to finish school, but the pressure of being a single mother while being a full-time student was too much. She withdrew from college, and began working full-time to support herself and the baby.
Over the years, Chemin's feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm began to grow, and her depression continued, untreated.
Despite her challenges with mental health, Chemin blossomed when she became a mother. She gave birth to 3 spectacular children, whom she loved with all her heart.
Joseph, who is 13, has so much of Chemin’s playful energy. He plays basketball and golf, and has the kindest heart. Aliyah is ten years old. Just like her mom, she loves music and dance. Both Joseph and Aliyah are on the A-honor roll and have been playing violin since they were 4 and 3 years old, respectively. Carmen is the youngest, and brings joy and happiness to everyone around here.
Despite attempts at intervention, Chemin chose not to take prescribed medication for depression, due to fear that it would change her personality. Her mental health issues continued to be unmanaged, and she began using drugs in a misguided and desperate attempt to self-medicate.
Her drug use evolved into an addiction and she became another person affected by the opioid crisis. Addiction is an insidious disease. It was as if an intruder had invaded her brain and would not let her go. She wanted to be free from addiction. She sought support, participated in treatment, went to 12-step meetings, and communicated often with her sponsor. But, addiction pulled her down like gravity, and ultimately cost her her life.
A fund has been set up to raise money to help support Chemin’s young children. Currently, the children’s maternal grandparents, who are both retired, are serving as the children's primary caretakers.
As we all know, it takes a village to raise children. Please join us in supporting the care of Chemin’s children by making a donation to this fund. Funds raised will go directly to providing for the children’s immediate and future needs.
*Note: Chemin’s mom, Karen Roberts, will be the custodian for all funds raised during this campaign. The family is consulting with legal professionals to manage and allocate the funds appropriately.