I, first, met Jaxon in May 2002 when I flew from Seattle to Kansas City for a week-long job interview with Doug at ASG. Jaxon was 18 years-old & fresh out of high school; I was a 32 year-old wanting to be fresh out of the gray, rain, & earthquakes of the PNW.

As the oldest, Jaxon helped rear his siblings while their mother worked to keep them fed & clothed, and Jaxon was an «old soul» due to his circumstances in life. We hit it off, immediately, when we met. He was my first KCMO friend.

We, soon, learned that a queer liberal from Seattle & an open-minded, str8, 18 y/o from Olathe, Kansas, had much to teach & learn from each other. The universe always works in the most wonderful & mysterious of ways.

Soon, I was tutoring Jaxon all of my English & Grammar knowledge while proofreading & editing his freshman-level papers, and Jaxon taught me how to be forthright in my progressive convictions without being overbearing (that was pre-Trump), and he & his group of KS / MO recent high-school-graduate friends were fully LGBT allies. That’s the way the world worked in 2002.

After I moved to Scottsdale in 2003, Jaxon & his friends would stay with me when they wanted / needed a break from KCMO.

Jaxon went onto medical school after KSU, and throughout, we stayed in regular contact. When he was potentially lost in an Atlantic hurricane, his mother, brother, & I coordinated our efforts ensuring that he was safe & healthy.

More recently, Jaxon graduated from medical school & was completing his residency in a smaller southern town. Due to the hell that is a medical residency, we didn’t stay in regular contact, and Jaxon stopped updating his social media.

A few weeks ago when tornadoes created catastrophic & tragic destruction, damage, & death, I awakened the next morning & googled to see if Jaxon’s town was hit. Once I learned that he was in the clear, I didn’t want to bother him during his residency & during an increasingly devastating pandemic. So, I just went about my day…

Over the years, I’ve learned that when someone is on your mind (out of nowhere), do not ignore your gut feeling.

On Thursday, Hydro messaged me to let me know that Jaxon suddenly passed away last Tuesday, and leaving behind his wife & young daughter, Jaxon’s is a cautionary tale.

It wasn’t him being a frontline doctor during a global pandemic that cost Jaxon his life; it was whatever coach… whatever personal trainer who first convinced Jaxon in high school that steroids were the answer to his desire for increased athleticism.

Today, I’m not blaming anyone who, 20 years ago, convinced Jaxon to take steroids. He’s had free-will for the past 20 years. And gawd knows, Jaxon & I had many a go-round about his ongoing usage.

No, today, if Jaxon were still here, I would shake him, smack him, & yell, «You’re a doctor! You know better!»

Sadly… grievously, I can’t do that to my friend since his heart gave out at 38 years of age.

Too young; too soon.

«Jaxon»
March 1983 – December 2021
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Originally, I was just going to re-run Jaxon’s last shoot, but Sunday afternoon, I decided to scrap that plan, honor Jaxon’s full CAUSA legacy, & render a complete CUMpilation of his scenes:

CAUSA 093 Circle Jerk
CAUSA 103 Jaxon & Hydro
CAUSA 105 Paul & Jaxon
CAUSA 108 Jaxon & Hydro
CAUSA 160 Jaxon
CAUSA 228 Jaxon
CB ~ Casey Black ~ Messing. With. TexAZ. ©