Andrei Eduard Specht

Thirty-three years ago, Andrei, you arrived via Air Canada from Romania, a tiny three month old; a perfect human specimen. What a thrill to get that first glimpse of our new son. And what a journey you took us on. You enriched our lives. You brought us joy and grief as any child does. You took the world on in your own inimitable way. You were irrepressible. You were a challenge for all who worked with you. You were blessed with a streak of genius Andrei. The future was yours to create.

You were born into a world that found a drug to solve every problem. You entered an education system that demanded a diagnosis for square pegs that couldn’t be accommodated in round holes. You struggled in a world that you found difficult to understand. And then you found solace in the drugs that stole your mind, your soul, your health, your connection to all those who loved you. Reason and logic were thrown to the wind. That is the legacy of drugs, a world from which you were unable to extricate yourself.

Despite all your struggles, Andrei, and above all, you remained a loyal and caring person. You consistently amazed those who knew you with your polite and considerate approach to others. You never lost your wonderful sense of humour. You remained cheerful despite your physical struggles.

The abuse that you subjected your body to finally took its toll. Your kidneys gave out and there was no miracle to save you. You left us at 6:07 a.m. on March 16th, leaving behind your grieving mother, Bronwyn (Reiner, deceased), aunt Olwyn (Hank Theissen) Abbotsford, aunt Nancye (Doug Irving,deceased) Albuquerque, New Mexico, from Germany, aunts Edelgard (Wilfried, deceased) Hennef, Christiane, (Klaus) Köln, uncles Hartmut ( Elizabeth), Berlin, Klaus ( Ursel), Lübeck, uncle Barney Irving, El Paso, Texas, birth mother, Iuliana Olaru, Sardinia and numerous cousins, also scattered around the world.

Drugs hijacked your mind, Andrei. They robbed you of a decent life and stole you away from us. Your potential was destroyed and that imagination, which could have taken you to untold heights, instead succumbed to the fog of drugs. They cheated you, as they do to all those who get caught in their grip.

We loved you, Andrei. You will be forever missed.