Geno Mitchell Sargent
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Geno's obituary
To all those who where touched by Geno’s life:
It is with a broken heart that I announce the death of my son, Geno Sargent.
Geno died of fentanyl poisoning on Feb 6, 2024 at Walden House, an addiction recovery facility in San Francisco, one mile from where he was born on September 10, 1999. He was 24 years young. The first half of his life was spent in Hawaii and the last half, bouncing between the Bay Area and Sacramento - between friends and families and recovery homes.
Geno was open about his struggle with addiction with those close to him: his parents, little brother, grandparents and tons of friends in all the places he lived. His journey includes dives into depression, pleasure seeking, falling back into the dark, but then pulling back up with a desire to “get better.” I’ve likely shared much of this journey with you over the years. It’s with his same openness, vulnerability, and desire to “keep it real,” that I want to walk through his journey in the present tense, because that’s the way it still feels to me.
There is nothing understated about Geno. The pink playboy bunny tattooed on his cheek, his edgy bright fashion and ever-changing haircuts and colors (his favorite was magenta). His signature high-pitched giggle bursts out of nowhere, infectious, unavoidable: and suddenly even strangers are laughing with him. His “no hold back” lyrics claim, “this is my life,” and "I'll do what I want,” boasting big dreams of fame, fortune, women (of course, he used other words). But just as passionate is his gratitude for the things he repeatedly lists in his journals: friends, AA meetings, his sobriety, a place to live, and family (this made the list almost every day). Not surprising, as Geno often says, “I feel best when I’m in touch with family.”
Geno came into this world restless (finally sleeping through the night at age three) and always on the move. For the first part of his life, playing sports, especially baseball, both drove him and settled him down (for a while). Too much down time and Geno pushing the boundaries, wanting the spotlight (even if negative), anything to avoid being bored, led him to the parties, substances and impulsive antics (hence the tattoo on his cheek), that “would fill this black hole in me,” he recently concludes.
Geno says, “life is supposed to be fun.” Repeatedly risking negative consequences for fun, answering simply “because I was bored,” were infuriating for us. Based on what I know now, this was not an “out,” for Geno, he just hadn’t yet found the words to describe his depression and that hole inside. The only real punishment is his guilt, beating himself up (literally at times) over how he’s hurting others. And his black hole grows, and along with the impulses to escape it. The various schools, counseling, and special programs don’t touch it and maybe even made it deeper.
In recent years, he starts seeking rehab for himself (many times) to “take a break” from this merry-go-round and finds that he’s learning more about himself, his disease (or dis-ease) and his deep desire for connection. The more he shares his struggle, whether with family or in AA meetings, the more he’s finding support that allowed him the dignity to choose his own path. We are tasked with loving him from the sidelines as he searches for healthier ways to overcome what he notes in his journal as his greatest fear: being alone.
Since entering Walden house in November, Geno finds other rap artists, writing lyrics and recording tracks from his make-shift studio setup in his closet. He’s in touch with his dad, brother and grandparents on the regular and is upbeat in our regular FaceTime calls. He’s also open about his recent relapses, telling me what he learned about himself in the process concluding, “I think I’m someone who can do moderation,” but he’s focusing on other things that make him happy. Answers to prompts in his January journal further illustrate:
Q: “How do I want to grow?”
A: “I want to stop caring what others may think of me. I want to completely believe in myself and where I am going. I want to continue to keep making better music, continue to strengthen my relationship with my family, and love myself completely.”
Q: “What do I want to contribute to this world?”
A: “A high vibration and energy that has a positive effect on others. Music that makes people feel good and inspiration that helps people feel good about themselves and follow their dreams.”
Q: “How do I want to be remembered when I’m gone?”
A: "As a rapper who tours the world and makes people happy through my music. I will be remembered for the energy I brought and for being a happy person who loved his family."
On January 28th Geno is down with a severe sprained ankle from playing basketball. His routine of exercise and AA meetings is disrupted. He’s in pain, “bored,” and “starting to get depressed.” We’ve been here before a hundred times. He’d pull through again as usual, right? Not this time.
On January 5th, Geno and I have a quick FaceTime call before he calls his grandpa (to talk about the book, Mastery, they’ve just started reading). “Just want to tell you I love you.” He’s a little down because he’s still “laid up,” but looking forward to his sponsor picking him up for a morning AA meeting.
On the morning of February 6th Geno is declared dead in his room by paramedics at 8:30 a.m., just as his sponsor arrives. I have so many questions. There are really not any answers that will ease the pain of losing my son. But if there are answers that will prevent another needless death from Fentanyl poisoning, I will add them to his story. But for now, this is about his life.
The Doula at his birth said, “Babies don’t come from you, they come through you.” They are their own being making choices we cannot control (but wish we could). Out of all the years of anguish over what he’s up to, preparing for “that call,” I realized what matters more than anything is that he shared his struggle and joys along the way, keeping us close, so that we got to love him no matter what he chose, and we still do.
Let’s celebrate Geno’s “high vibration and energy” that still has the positive effect he hoped for by sharing stories, music, pictures, fashion, videos and so much more. In honor of Geno, this celebration is open to anyone his energy has touched or inspired in his 24 years on the planet.
With all my love and love for my son,
Faye Mitchell
Celebration of Geno’s Life:
Date: 6/7/24
Time: 4:00 pm-7:00 pm
Location: Spencer Beach Park, Big Island Hawaii
Following the service, there will be a reception where we can share memories and stories of Geno over some refreshments.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made toward Geno’s goals of inspiring others and raising awareness of substance abuse and recovery. Please use the following link to make a donation: [Donation Link](insert link).
Please RSVP by June 1st so we can make appropriate arrangements.
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