kmish213

Current Residence: Somewhere in Satan's dark abyss, smoking weed with George Carlin, discussing history and politics with Christopher Hitchens, and getting a tour of the universe by Carl Sagan.

Kamal Mishmish was an insanely talented Iraq-American artist and musician. He was born in Al-Amarah, Iraq, on March 3rd, 1990. Together with his family, they fled Iraq as refugees in 1996 due to his father's opposition to Saddam Hussein's regime. After spending one year in Jordan, they were granted asylum in the United States of America. Kamal endured an extremely traumatic childhood which led to his love for art and music, using it as a way to cope with the trauma. Kamal was a brilliant and mischievous child.

When Kamal was in kindergarten, he realized he could sneak out of school through a hole in the fence. He would leave school every day after lunch recess and return precisely when the last bell rang. Then, he would wait outside for his mom to pick him up. It wasn't until parent-teacher conferences that anyone caught on to his antics. The teacher asked why his mom always picked him up after lunch, and his mother was shocked. He was so clever that everyone laughed it off, and Kamal was warned not to do that again.

In middle school, Kamal met his best friends Ryan and James. They spent so much time together and loved each other as brothers. Unfortunately, on February 3rd, 2012, Ryan took his own life, devastatingly affecting Kamal's life. He became increasingly depressed and eventually dropped out of ASU.

In the following years, Kamal focused on his artwork and spending time loving the people around him. His favorite place was Joshua Tree, where you can see some of his marvelous murals. At the age of 30, his mental health declined drastically. On November 12th, 2021, Kamal walked into a shooting range and shot himself. He died the following morning. This was a heartbreaking loss to anyone that ever crossed paths with Kamal. After reviewing his medical records, it was revealed that Kamal was given a medication that had not been approved for his diagnosis. Terros, a mental-health company, did not check on Kamal after multiple attempts at taking his life. He traveled to numerous locations complaining that this medication was making him suicidal. The company did not check on Kamal until nearly a month after his suicide.

We love you so much, Kamal. Life has been so hard since you've been gone. I see your murals in the backyard and think of the time I had an existential crisis. You told me to follow you to the backyard. You picked an orange off the tree and put it to my face. "Smell that, isn't it beautiful? It's a beautiful day out; there is nothing to be scared of. Take some deep breaths!" you said. That is my favorite memory with you because we were the closest during those years. I wish I could have one more day where I'm 25, and you're 23. -Your sister, Abeer.