Jevon was a wonderful son. He was handsome, outgoing, trustworthy, and had the best sense of humor. Jevon was a sensitive, peaceful person who everyone agrees was like sunshine. He would brighten your day. He was protective and devoted to his sister Shakena since her birth. He was a great big brother. Jevon was a talented lyricist who began writing rhymes at the age of ten. He loved to go to the studio and record his words into songs. Hip-Hop was his true love. After graduating from Eastern High School in 2001, he took on gainful employment, and began to pursue his musical dreams and make them reality. These gifts recently showed signs into manifesting itself into a very lucrative recording deal with negotiations underway with a notable recording label weeks before his death. Though his life and dreams were suddenly cut short, Jevon will live in the hearts and cherished memories of all who loved him. He was one of the good guys, a very funny guy, so when we think and remember him, we must remember him with laughter, for he would want it that way. Jevon was diagnosed with bipolar manic depressive disorder on June 18, 2005. I was told it was an incurable mental illness. The diagnosis was unbelievable and overwhelming to discover. He had been healthy his entire life and did not believe he was ill. I sought help from the doctors at the hospital but was told he did not meet the commitment standard of dangerousness to self or others, so there was nothing they could do. I begged for help, insisting that something was terribly wrong. He did not believe what the doctors were saying. Every mother knows when something is wrong with their child. I could see it in his eyes; the emptiness, confusion and fear. He promised me he would be alright; it was a promise he couldn't keep. Thirty-one days later we was dead. No one knows for certain what causes bipolar disorder. Typically it begins in adolescence or early adult hood and continues throughout life. Studies show that 80 to 90 percent of those who suffer have relatives with some form of depression. Close relatives of people with bipolar disorder are 10 to 20 times more likely to get bipolar disorder than others. The presence of bipolar disorder indicates a biochemical imbalance in the brain during both extremes of behavior (mania and depression). After Jevon's death, his father made me aware that mental illness and depression runs heavily in his family. Jevon was 23 years young when he was killed.