Patrick Henner Forsyth

Patrick Henner Forsyth, age 22, born and raised in Cary, NC, passed away on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. He is survived by his parents, Greg and Peggy (Henner) Forsyth, his brothers, Michael (Denver, CO) and Jack Forsyth (Apex, NC), many adoring aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Patrick graduated from Athens Drive High School in 2016 and enjoyed playing soccer, lacrosse, and paintball. Patrick was such a naturally gifted person – smart, compassionate, funny, athletic, handsome – and was an infectious personality to be around. He was a very social person from a young age and always had friends around him – people gravitated towards Patrick and he immensely valued their presence around him. The day before his death, he told his family how sad he was that he was not going to see them for Thanksgiving, but was very excited for Christmas when we could all be together and was incessantly asking what he could get everyone for Christmas – that was Patrick. He would have certainly been an entrepreneur later in life and was a natural born salesperson. At age 10, Patrick was gifted a paintball gun that cost $150 and within about six months, he had traded and sold the thing about six times to turn it into a $1,500 paintball gun – that was Patrick. He always had an innate ability to figure things out for himself and stopped at nothing to accomplish what he wanted. Whenever he put his mind towards something, whether it be relationships, school, work, or fitness, he found success. It is so sad that Patrick was taken from the world so young because he surely would have done great things. And then there were drugs…Patrick was killed by a long and hard-fought battle with opioid addiction. Unfortunately, the same mindset that exceled Patrick in the positive aspects of his life was the same mindset that addiction bestowed on him towards drugs – it consumed him and stopped at nothing. At times when drugs were present in Patrick’s life, they took complete control and had no regard for his wellbeing. For someone so young, Patrick had hit rock bottom so many times as a function of his disease and his resolve to bounce back was nothing short of incredible: physically – at his lowest point he weighed 130 pounds (he is 6’2” tall)…before he died he weighed 185 pounds and was chiseled like a Greek God, a function of countless hours in the gym focusing on improving his physical wellbeing (he was so proud of his progress and would often joke with his brothers that he might not be the oldest, but he was the strongest – that was Patrick); emotionally – at his lowest point he had alienated loved ones and positive influences from his life in innumerable ways…before he died he was talking to friends and family frequently with love and openness and we could not have been more proud of the person he was becoming – that was Patrick; mentally – at his lowest point he was letting drugs consume every decision made in his life…before he died he was almost nine months into a rehabilitation and therapy program to take back control of his life from his crippling illness – that was Patrick. Patrick had been fighting for his sobriety for nearly four years to include numerous rehabilitation and treatment programs and during this time only relapsed for a short number of months – he was so committed to bettering himself and finding a way to beat this illness - that was Patrick. Watching Patrick go through this process with so much commitment and perseverance was inspiring beyond belief, and if he was able to find a way to win this battle then there was nothing he could not accomplish in this world. The harsh reality about addiction is that each time an addict relapses, the drugs either kill them or take back complete control, or in the best case scenario, they have the opportunity to go back to step one in the rehabilitation and treatment process and start the hardest fight of their life all over again. There is no “cure” for addiction as there are with many other diseases, and treatment rates are exceptionally low compared to many other diseases, requiring addicts for all intents and purposes to be “mistake-free” to beat their illness, much with only their own resolve to rely on. That would be an incredible burden for anyone, let alone a 22 year-old – in no other area of society is there an expectation that someone so young will not make mistakes. Unfortunately, the consequences of an addict’s mistakes are literally life or death. It is a shame that people battling addiction are defined by their disease in society so much more so than other diseases, but if you look over the course of history, victims of illnesses that are widely supported and celebrated by society today, and rightfully so, were viewed inferiorly in the past. Unfortunately, that is how many view addicts today – tweakers, junkies, druggies – that was not Patrick, and that is not addicts. Fighting and beating this illness takes so much strength from the victim and requires a support community around them like none other - negative stigmas around this illness only block positive progress from being made to help those battling the disease. Like most diseases, this disease does not discriminate against demographics and it plagues all types of people. If Patrick’s memory can help an addict seek treatment or not find shame in confronting their illness, help a friend or family member continue to support an addict in their daily fight for survival, or help remove the negative stigma in society around addiction – to continue progress and save lives – his impact will continue to be felt long after his physical presence left us and his plan to leave this world a better place than when he got here will be clear. That is Patrick. Patrick had more support and positive influences in his life than we could ever mention, but in particular his family will have everlasting gratitude to the Ransom family for taking him into their home and loving him as their own while he was in The Insight Program in Charlotte, NC. Patrick was given an abundance of tools, support, and emotional energy by the fantastic staff at The Insight Program, and then at SurfSide Structured Sober Living in Ventnor, NJ. Our hearts will forever be strong for the men and women that work these programs and willingly engage in one of life’s toughest battles for so many people, most frequently complete strangers. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund in Patrick’s name is being established and donations can be made through GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/patrick-h-forsyth-memorial-fund), or if checks are preferable please reach out to Michael Forsyth at michaelforsyth1992@gmail.com. We will use it as a way to help others in their fight against addiction that may not have the means to seek proper treatment. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Father John Durbin at St. Mary Magdalene’s Catholic Church in Apex on Thursday, December 10th. The Eulogy will begin at 10:40 a.m. followed by the Mass at 11:00 a.m. Immediately following Mass, a private Rite of Committal will be held at St. Andrews Catholic Church. Unfortunately, at this time, we will not be able to have a visitation or gathering due to COVID-19.