JOSH HENDY
(1998 - 2020)
DJ, Volunteer, Gamer
Josh had a niche for music. He could DJ and mix anything, and was often the ‘go to’ for anything related to music. At the age of 12, Josh was DJing for his friends and family, and even mixing his own tracks. Secondary school was tough for Josh.
He began to develop ‘ticks’ – both verbal and physical – which made him a target for bullies. Eventually, he received a Tourette’s diagnosis. This was the start of Josh’s long battle.
Josh had other troubles at school – he didn’t like sports, and often felt like he didn’t ‘fit in’ with the other children.
Despite these challenges, Josh was intelligent, passing all his exams with minimal effort. He was never one to study, preferring to play video games or mix tracks instead.
At college, Josh studied Engineering, but struggled with the workload and didn’t seem to be engaged in his studies. In his spare time, he worked at the local hardware store, in a pizzeria, and then at a grocery store. He was an instant hit with the locals, who would often only shop at the store to have conversations with Josh. They were devastated when he handed in his notice to work as a security guard for the Ministry of Defence in Portsmouth Dockyard. He worked nights, often watching Netflix to combat his boredom.
The life and soul of the party – and his community
At the age of 18, Josh successfully passed his training to become a Special Constable in Hampshire Constabulary.
He invited his family to his attestation and made everyone so incredibly proud of his achievements. Josh went on to attend many police incidents across the county in an attempt to help others and support his community.
Everywhere he went, Josh had an impact on people. To everyone on the outside looking in, Josh looked like the life and soul of the party.
Josh was the most genuine and kind person anyone could wish to meet. He always thought of others before himself.
He was part of an incredibly close-knit family – he was a son, brother and owner of his dog, Geordie. His family – Josh’s parents, and his sister Alice – would do everything together. Christmas, birthdays, holidays, special occasions, concerts, sports games, pub visits and everything in between.
Josh began developing new romantic attachments with girls he met on his travels. His young mind lacked the experience of life and relationships. His kind nature would often be taken advantage of.
The highs and lows of all relationships are unavoidable, but to Josh, probably as a result of his depression, they were devastating.
21 years, forever young
Josh was 21 years old when he made his final attempt at suicide. He had already made several attempts on his life, and was brave enough to approach his doctors for help. Medication, therapy sessions – to Josh, nothing had worked. He began to see the support he was getting as a waste of time.
Depression was a sickness blinding Josh from seeing the support all around him, in the form of his loving family and friends.
Depression is the ‘silent killer’ that no one sees or hears, it strikes at the most vulnerable time in your life and leaves you helpless. This disease of the mind can be so hidden with so many outlets for it to take a hold of people. The stigma surrounding this debilitating disease is out there and everyone experiences at some point in their life, it's how we can recognise it and cope with it that makes the difference.
Josh’s family are now calling on parents, schools, colleges, universities, and businesses to recognise the ‘not so’ obvious symptoms, as no family should ever have to live through a tragic event like this. Josh was so full of life yet such a hurting soul inside.