mewzak

mewzak

Saturday, June 22, 2013

My Friend April Parsons


This week I was shocked and saddened by the death of a friend, April Parsons. Sure, she was kinda kooky, but she was also honest, generous and had a huge heart. I'm going to go into some things here that I would not share normally, but I feel sharing them now would honor her life.

April and I met through being fans of Filter. We talked online for quite some time and we confided in each other quite a bit. I only actually met her twice in person, the two times we went on ShipRocked.

The first time she was one of my roommates on the ship. Close to the time of the cruise, some extra things were announced for special experiences with the artists. I had spent my last dime on the trip expenses and could not afford any of them. April, never having met me in person before, paid $300 for me to go to the dinner with the singers. One of the best memories I will ever have of ShipRocked and Filter, I owe to April. I will never forget that favor.

I did pay her back months later when I could, but I just put the check in the mail without telling her, because I knew she would say not to do it. She was surprised when she received it and told me I shouldn't have done it. But she actually needed some money at that time, so I hope my karma ended well on that deed.

Also while onboard, she used her photographer access to get me in early for the Filter set in the auditorium, so I was able to be up front and center for their performance. That was the night Richard handed me his guitar pick to make the scratching noises on his guitar in the breakdown part of "Dose." Yet again, I have her to thank for that moment and memory.

The second time we were on ShipRocked, there was a night I hung out with her by the bar out on the deck and we had a heart to heart. She needed a friend and I'm glad I spent that time with her.

We hadn't kept in contact that much after that, but just a few weeks before her death, I did give her some complimentary comments on some of her photos of Filter from their recent show in Florida. While it was a small gesture, I am glad my last few words to her were kind and I hope they meant something to her.

I only wish I could have said or done something to prevent her from ending her life early... but being someone who struggles with depression myself, I know that sometimes you can't stop someone from resorting to it. I wish she would have still had hope for life. She was beautiful and talented and I hope her spirit now knows that and is at peace.

My condolences to her family and friends, especially her son. I hope he learns how special his mom was as he grows up.

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