Never Have I Ever…
Last year: Julian's first music festival. Let's just let that high note be it; everything else was terrible.
Never have I ever, until this year:
The Fight (Activism)
Testing the frog suit. I don’t have the good pictures from the rally, because I was mostly in the costume all day.
Participated in protests wearing an inflatable frog costume.
Attended a "headless" town hall for Lindsey Graham.
Attended a town hall for DD2 which I'd been asking about for years.
Called out DD2 for cancelling the last town hall of the year.
Held a mini-protest in front of the DD2 office after being brushed off.
Called for the resignation of sitting School Board members and superintendent.
The High Note (Music)
Started my tattoo sleeve.
Invited on stage at Charlotte's Spectrum Center by David Draiman to share Julian's story (first public appearance of the Top Hat).
Shared a hug and a moment with Chris Daughtry in the pit.
Landed a guitar pick right next to Lzzy Hale at CMH.
Handed Alice Cooper guitar picks.
Got into Metallica's Snake Pit.
Talked Lisa into going to Inkcarceration (her first INK, my first time seeing Silent Theory).
Went to my first concert by myself and met Ed Kowalczyk (+Live+)
Sang in public (and sang terribly on camera).
Volunteered at the Community Music Collective.
Took a selfie with someone who would then go on to sing “Rockstar” on stage with Nickelback!
The Mission (Charity)
Founded a charity and set up a business bank account.
Planned and hosted a bullying and suicide prevention rally (permits, bounce house, food trucks, the works).
Met with the founder of another suicide prevention charity.
Started a podcast (bought a purpose-built computer, learned Descript).
Applied to be a 988 volunteer.
Coordinated and launched a holiday fundraising campaign that raised $37k in two weeks. That’s not the brag you might think it is, given context.
The Adventure (Iceland)
Visited Iceland!
Climbed a glacier.
Swam in the Blue Lagoon while it was snowing.
Swallowed cod oil.
Walked on a viking boat.
Saw Black Sands Beach.
Witnessed a live LAVA show.
Distributed guitar picks, including placing two behind the bar at Lemmy’s.
The Body & Mind (Health)
Fired my psychiatrist.
Started with a new therapist.
Went to the ER thinking something was going to rupture (morphine, ultrasound, CT scan).
Got my first stitches after having my upper lip severed.
Had to skip a trip to Vegas (and the Sphere) due to medical issues.
Attempting to ask for a workplace accommodation.
The accommodation request led to short term disability. Huh.
The Home Front (Family & Life)
Opened a void space under the kitchen island to install an inline water heater.
Hired someone else to clean our house.
Went to court to have moving violations waived for Jolie.
Met our daughter's boyfriend's parents.
Sent our daughter to a concert on the other side of the state.
Had to observe Julian's birthday without him.
The Year in Context
If you read that list and thought, "That sounds like chaos," you aren’t wrong. This year has been defined by a desperate, beautiful, and sometimes angry attempt to find footing in a world that looks very different than it did two years ago. That last item on the list should punctuate why none of this is celebratory; not that I don’t see the cause for celebration.
The Activism & The Charity: Much of this year was spent fighting. We founded a charity after trying so hard not to have to create another one, hosted a rally, and showed up to town halls—sometimes in suits, sometimes in inflatable frog costumes. You never know when an inflatable frog costume might come in handy (ribbit!).
We met with DD2 board members and lawyers, hoping for collaboration, only to realize that sometimes you have to operate on the cancer rather than negotiate with it. We launched a podcast and a fundraising campaign that humbled us with $37k in donations, proving that people want to help; they just need a place to direct that energy. Also, that statement proves that things can be relative and have nothing to do with each other; the podcast didn’t have any effect on the giving campaign that brought the vast majority of donations.
The Music: Music was the lifeline. From the Snake Pit at Metallica to standing on stage with David Draiman sharing Julian’s story, the "Top Hat" made its debut, and we found community in the crowd. We traveled for shows, we met heroes like Chris Daughtry and Spencer Charnas, and I even went to a show alone for the first time. I started writing songs—terribly, at first—but the music is coming back. The music is going to be a much bigger part next year.
The Medical Reality: Physically and mentally, it was a gauntlet. I fired a psychiatrist who wasn't helping and found a therapist who is. We dealt with ER visits, infections, severed lips, and cancelled trips. It feels like the body keeps the score, and this year, the score was high. But hey, my first experience with morphine makes for a good story.
Family: Through all of this, we are still here. We renovated parts of the house, we navigated the teenage milestones of boyfriends and court dates, and we sent Jolie off to her first concert trip. But we also faced the heavy "firsts"—like observing Julian’s birthday without him. This house isn’t the same, but not for the normal reasons.
Looking Ahead: As we head toward 2026, the goal isn't just to survive, but to build.
The Book: I’ve had my first idea for an illustrated book and plan to have a draft done soon. “The Silence Before Christmas” as a parody book.
The Music: Finish writing at least one song.
The Mission: Secure the fairgrounds for the next rally and get a second run of billboards up.
The Year Ahead: Master’s degree, short term disability, writing things, pushing against the status quo everywhere I can, and getting this message into the schools. By this time next year, I don’t expect anywhere near the same outlook.
Thank you to everyone who has followed this journey, donated, or just listened. Here’s to a year of fighting the good fight.
-Jason
