Guestbook

Dear Dr. Ferraro, I visit this website frequently. I didn't know your son very well at all and obviously was shocked to hear he died after years of struggling with addiction. I worked with him frequently from September through November last year. I was often in the production office and he was runnin' around in the truck, but we had a few great conversations. One night, we were shooting in Montclair, NJ, and he was bumming because the shoot was going long, it was a Friday night, and he was going to have to postpone a "hot date" he had with a "fine lady" as he put it. We were laughing and telling stories and enjoying one of those lulls in the frenetic activity on the set. What a fantastic smile he had! I told him about my two sons. He wanted to know what they were into and I said "Skateboarding!" I will never forget how his brow darkened and he said, "Be careful. There are a lot og drugs in that scene!" And then we chatted about skateboarding, surfing, teenagers, his upcoming trip to Costa Rica, life, art, etc. He was so smart and interesting. I went home and asked my kids the next day if anyone they've met while skating had ever offered them drugs? They said no and we had a good conversation (not the first, nor the last) about drugs, keeping healthy and clean, and the perils of addiction. The next time I worked with Jordan we spent some time schlepping props down a huge freight elevator. A nothing sort of task, a mundane moment, an unremarkable moment in the course of a day in production, but I remember being happy it was him, and how we laughed, and joked, and just what a super nice sweet guy he was. I was just devestated to hear he had died. Three days ago while I was driving to a job at Silvercup Studios at like 5am, NPR played a commentary by Jim Bildner (you can still hear it on the NPR website) about drugs and the untimely overdose of his son at 21 yrs of age last year. His main point was that parents in this country need to realize that addiction can happen to any kid of any background. He said he himself was, and many of the parents he encountered from the time his son became a heroin addict in high school, were in denial. So OK I am not in denial about who can become an addict. I know just from my own friends and family that ANYONE can become an addict. So I am not in denial about that, but what then must we do? Is there really anything you can do as a parent to help your child avoid this disease? Really? I mean I do everything you're "supposed" to do: love and care for my sons, try to give them ample opportunity to dream and succeed, dole out consequences for bad behavior, talk to them about addiction and drugs/alcohol... But my guess is that you did all those things too. Is there anything one can do as a parent to prevent this tragedy? Or is it a destiny thing for that individual? My heart goes out to you and your family. Jordan was a beautiful, talented man. A beautiful, beautiful man. It is just impossible to accept that he is gone too soon.