Pubdate: Fri, 03 May 2002
Source: Hope Standard (CN BC)
Copyright: 2002 Hope Standard
Contact:  http://www.hopestandard.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1397
Author: Robbie Jenneson
Note: Robbie Jenneson is a work-experience student currently at the Hope 
Standard.

IF I HAD A SECOND CHANCE...

Five years ago, Jade Bell had no idea he'd be sitting in front of the 514 
students at Hope Secondary School telling them about the horrifying, yet 
real way of a 'junkie.'

As it states in the documentary "The Wrath of the Dragon" more than a few 
times: "If I had a second chance, I wouldn't even think about touching that 
shit."

On August 27,1997, Jade Bell overdosed on many different substances; many 
say it was the heroin that finally did him in. After being unconscious for 
a number of hours, and waking up a few times, he found himself unable to 
see or speak. On top of that, he had developed a case of dystonia, which is 
a lack of oxygen to the brain that results in not being able to control 
body movements.

At the ripe old age of 14, Jade had already begun to experiment with a 
number of different drugs and had a criminal record. A few years after 
that, he was introduced into the sex trade and the porn industry. Every 
cent he earned for those nine hellish years of his life went to fueling his 
craving and getting that next fix.

After overdosing on a plethora of substances five times, he amazingly lives 
to tell about it. After reaching out to over 50,000 students already, he 
doesn't plan to stop. Telling and warning students about the many effects 
and consequences of almost every kind of drug, including alcohol, he 
willingly shares his story in hopes of impacting everyone - in hopes of 
even scaring them into not doing drugs.

Often referring to his former self as 'Boozy, The Invincible Clown,' 
throughout his presentation, Jade's life of a 'junkie' is also revealed to 
students in his short video, "The Wrath of the Dragon." As he listens to 
fellow 'junkies' discuss their all too familiar lives in this video, the 
students are injected with a large dose of shocking audio and visual reality.

Perhaps the most real part is seeing Jade and the way in which he has to 
now communicate. Confined to a wheelchair and without voice, Jade must tap 
his head onto Morse code sensors on either side of his headrest. His 
personal computer then translates these taps into letters and then words. 
The computer's emotionless, monotone voice then unremittingly goes on 
speaking out Jade's' tale of how he road the highway to hell. He finishes 
off his whole speech with the first poem he wrote after the final overdose: 
'A Junkie's Tale'.

Jade has been clean for four years and he really couldn't have gone half 
this far, if it hadn't been for the help of Bram, his caretaker and best 
friend, his technical engineer, John, his driver, Ron, and Marina, his 
girlfriend of eight months. Jade lives in an apartment in English Bay, 
thanks to Bram's decision to remove him from the hospital as soon as possible.

When asked if he feels being this way in a wheelchair is better than his 
less-than glamorous life before his overdose, he simply answers that he 
would have "been better off in heaven."
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