Greenfield Family Hopes Others Avoid Their Tragedy, Heartache

While making funeral arrangements for their 26-year-old son CJ in March, Charlie and Patti Lomas barely blinked an eye when the director brought up the donation of flowers.

Almost in unison, the Lomases said, "no flowers."

“It was as if a light went off for both of us,” Charlie Lomas said. “We thought this would be a perfect opportunity to do something that might actually be meaningful.”

In lieu of flowers, the family asked for monetary donations to help start the CJ Lomas Recovery Foundation. CJ Lomas battled a drug addiction for nearly seven years. According to his father, he was trying to straighten out his life and stay sober — he had undergone extensive rehab sessions three times in the last five years — but he died unexpectedly March 18.

“He struggled with drugs for many years,” said Tracy Fohr, CJ’s cousin. “He was the type of person who never judged anybody, the type of guy that gave everyone a chance.”

The goal of the foundation created in CJ’s name is to send at least one addict per year through a comprehensive treatment program that the addict otherwise could not afford. Treatment programs include 28-day intense inpatient stay, one-on-one counseling sessions, as well as group meetings, followed by a minimum of 90 days in a sober living home. Such programs can cost as much as $24,000 for the inpatient stay, and another $8,000 for a 90-day visit.

“Without any kind of insurance coverage, I don’t know how any one could possibly think about (attending these rehab sessions),” Charlie Lomas said.

In addition to the foundation, the Lomases have also formed a support group for family members and significant others. The group includes recovering addicts, family, friends and two certified counselors and meets once every two weeks at the Lomases house.

Charlie Lomas said the meetings are an opportunity for those impacted by drug addiction — directly and indirectly — to talk about specific situations and feelings, and to give advice about what they’ve learned during their personal battles.

“I’m a typical father. I kept saying, ‘My God I don’t understand this, why don’t you stop it,’” he said. “And then you get more educated and you find out it’s truly an addiction and a disease and when you become an addict and get to that level, you can’t just stop.

“Families try to hide it, cover it all up and don’t want anyone to know. We did. We lived through all those things. We certainly hoped to have a better last chapter in the book we’re writing, but it would be a sin to not to share the education we’ve received in this matter and share with them the proper help for an addict.

“You want to guide people in the right direction and hope they don’t have to make the same steps others of us have made.”

Charlie Lomas said that he and his family have no regrets when it comes to the support and help they afforded CJ during his addiction, though they wish the final outcome would have been different and that CJ were still alive and helping run the foundation.

But the Lomases are dedicated to help families write their last chapter differently.

“We are hoping to make something that was a tragedy for us and our family into a positive for other families,” Lomas said.

The foundation’s first fundraiser is the CJ Lomas Recovery Foundation golf outing at Muskego Lakes Country Club, S100 W14020 Loomis Rd., Muskego, on July 27.

Registration begins at 10 a.m. and a shotgun start is slated for 11 a.m. Lunch will be served after nine holes.

The foundation is still looking for sponsors, donations for the auction and participants, according to Fohr. Golf fees are $500 for a foursome and $125 for a single player. All registrations include golf fees, cart, lunch, and dinner. Participants can order dinner only for $35.

Following golf, everyone is invited to a social hour and a chance to participate in a silent auction along with raffles, prizes and more.

In addition, the foundation is selling sponsorship opportunities ranging from $100-$600. All sponsorships include a sign at the event and recognition in the event program.

Call Charlie Lomas at 414-881-9144 for information, or send your registration information along with golf fees to 12212 W. Whitaker Ave., Greenfield, WI 53228. Donations for the raffle and silent auction can also be dropped off at that location, or arrangements can be made for a pick-up.